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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27360343">Moving Objects</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliceRoza/pseuds/AliceRoza'>AliceRoza</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Vampire Academy Series - Richelle Mead</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Multi, Psychic Abilities, Vampire Academy - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-09 04:20:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>52,271</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27360343</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliceRoza/pseuds/AliceRoza</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Rose is hiding a secret, a secret she's been keeping from everyone. What happens when she loses control and someone finds out?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dimitri Belikov/Rose Hathaway, Lissa Dragomir/Christian Ozera, Rose Hathaway/Abe Mazur</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>47</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Not again! I couldn't let this happen again. I tried to calm my breathing, but it didn't seem to help. I sank down to the floor and pulled my knees to my chest, hoping to block out the world around me. I could hear the objects in the storage room rattling and shaking on the shelves and I prayed that I could make it stop. I needed to calm down. If I calmed down, it would stop.</p><p>"Rose?"</p><p>My head snapped up from where it rested on my knees and the room stopped shaking. My eyes landed on Dimitri standing in the doorway, his expression a weird mixture between his guardian mask and confusion. But one thing is clear. He saw what was happening in this room. What I was doing.</p><p>He walked towards me and crouched down and placed his hands on my legs, rubbing them gently as he looked at me. I reached up and wiped the tears from my face with the sleeve of my shirt.</p><p>"What is going on? What's wrong?" he asked, but I shook my head. He sighed and moved his hands to my face, cupping my cheeks. "Clearly, something is going on. When I came in here, everything was shaking on the shelves."</p><p>I shook my head and pulled out of his grasp and slipped by him, making a beeline for the gym exit and the safety of my room. But I wasn't fast enough. Dimitri was hot on my heels and caught up to me, spinning me around and backing me towards the wall of the gym.</p><p>"Rose, just tell me what's wrong," Dimitri implored, his hands holding my shoulders to keep me from bolting. I looked up at him hesitantly and weighed the pros and cons of revealing the one secret I had kept from everyone: including Lissa.</p><p>I shook my head and tried to pull out of his reach, but he held me tighter and tried to meet my eyes. "You wouldn't understand," I whispered, forcing the fear to remain unnoticed. Dimitri sighed in frustration and pulled me closer to him and positioned me so that I was trapped between him and the wall.</p><p>"Roza, please."</p><p>I closed my eyes with a sigh and tilted my head against the concrete behind me. If there was ever a person I could trust this with, it should be him, right? I mean, he's Dimitri. "You have to promise that you won't freak out or think I'm nuts. Okay?" Dimitri moved his hand from my shoulders to cup my face, nodding his head while quietly giving me his promise.</p><p>I took a shaky breath and unbuckled the watch around his wrist, letting it drop between us. When he moved his hands to catch it, he faltered when he realized that his watch never hit the ground. I mentally pulled the watch closer to my face – his chest level – and held it there.</p><p>Dimitri stepped back slightly and gapped at me as he looked between me and the watch. He took another step back and I felt my resolve falter, causing my control to slip and the object to drop from between us. Dimitri's hands snapped out to catch it and he gripped it tightly. I had never been someone who would let small reactions bother me, but Dimitri's face made me want to crawl under a rock and hide there for the rest of my life. I muttered quietly under my breath and moved to flee but Dimitri moved fast and gripped my hand.</p><p>I didn't dare look at him and kept my gaze to the floor, kicking myself for thinking I could show anyone that. Dimitri gently tugged me back to him and held me against him, his hand going up to cup the back of my head.</p><p>"What was that?"</p><p>"Lissa wasn't the only reason we were running. People were starting to notice, and I tried so hard to hide it. I did everything I could to hide it, but I had to get a handle on it first and I couldn't do that here," I said against the cotton of his shirt, my voice muffled by it. I focused on the thumping under my cheek of Dimitri's steady heartbeat, using the sound and sensation to bring my own galloping heart down to a normal level.</p><p>Dimitri didn't say anything but simply twisted his hand into my curls and rested his cheek against my forehead, his other hand moving down to the small of my back. I smiled to myself gently as his fingers brushed against the sliver of skin exposed between my shirt and jeans. It made me think of what happened only a few hours ago.</p><p>I tilted my head up to look at him, our faces only inches apart. "Crazy enough for you yet?" I joked half-heartedly, giving him a meek smile. A smirk crossed his face as he stroked my cheek affectionately.</p><p>"Oh, Roza. If seeing ghosts didn't make me run, not much could. Anything else I should know about?"</p><p>I shrugged my shoulders and pulled away from him slightly. It had been weeks since I had willingly used my abilities, so it took me a moment to channel it. I watched Dimitri carefully as I pulled the large squat rack towards us, wincing at the loud scraping noise.</p><p>Dimitri had an awed look on his face, and it was something I enjoyed seeing. It made me feel like less of a freak. Dimitri scratched his face and walked towards the rack. "Is it only objects that you can move?" he asked as he ran his hand over the metal. I chuckled quietly to myself and gave a mental tug, making him stumble back towards me.</p><p>"I'm not used to moving people, but I have made a car move a few inches while the parking brake was on," I snickered at the expression on his face. He shook his head at me and came closer, but the sound of the gym door opening stopped us.</p><p>Alberta popped her head into the gym and gave both of us a flat smile. "I thought I would find the two of you here. We are heading out now," Alberta said before slipping back out of the gym as quickly as she came. I met Dimitri's gaze and like a gravitational pull, we met halfway and held each other tightly. I breathed in his scent deeply and tried to commit it to memory incase before tilting my head up and catching his lips in a kiss.</p><p>"I love you."</p><p>Dimitri rested his head against mine before pecking my lips again. "I love you too, Roza."<br/>
________________________________</p><p>I gave Dimitri a subtle nod as he went with the first wave into the caves, feeling my heart falter for a moment as he disappeared into the darkness. It felt like hours as we waited for the call for our wave to go in. I took a deep breath and ventured in, listening quietly and waiting for my stomach to roll again.</p><p>Eventually, we made it far enough in that we regrouped with the others and I caught Dimitri's eyes instantly, breathing a sigh of relief to see that he was unharmed aside from a blossoming bruise on his cheekbone. I quickly made my way over to him, giving him a tight smile but I could see the relief in his eyes as well.</p><p>"You're ok?" Dimitri whispered quickly, his eyes darting all over me to check for injury. I smiled when his hand brushed against mine, a small glimpse at what he wanted to do right now. I lifted my fingers to let them glide against his quickly before we both turned back into what my mom and Alberta were saying.</p><p>I could feel the hair on my neck stand up just moments before my stomach rolled and I called out to Mom, alerting her of our unwanted advancers. While at this moment we were all Guardians, a part of me was touched and angered when Dimitri placed himself between me and the Strigoi, but I also knew that he only did it because he loved me.</p><p>I came face to face with my first Strigoi quickly and squared up to him. Previously a Moroi, he towered over me but he wasn't as tall as Dimitri. I ducked under his arm and laid a kick to his knee but he spun around quickly and backhanded me. My feet came off the ground as I sailed backwards into someone behind me, knocking them down as well. The wind was knocked out of me as I hit the body cushioning my blow and I gasped for air greedily.</p><p>I rolled off the person and scrambled to my feet, clutching my stake in my hand as the Strigoi advanced me again. I dodged his fists and found an opening quickly, sinking my stake between the ribs. I pulled back instantly and collided with Mom who grabbed onto me and started pulling me towards the exit of the cave.</p><p>"There's too many of them! Get out!" Mom yelled as she yanked on my arm again while pushing one of the teachers ahead of her. I followed on her heels as we all moved out and I tried to push down the fear from hearing the Strigoi following us. I risked taking a glance behind me only to meet fierce brown eyes that were trained on me. While he may not have said anything, his eyes said enough.</p><p>Don't stop. Keep running.</p><p>I turned back and pushed harder, forcing my legs to pump harder and to carry me further. I sighed in relief when I crossed out of the cave into the setting sun only to feel dread course through my veins when I turned around to meet Dimitri.</p><p>"Dimitri!" I screamed, but it was too late. The blonde Strigoi that baited me at the battle was too close to him. I felt arms wrap around me as I stepped forward, the arms pulling me tightly against a chest and tugging me back. I screamed and thrashed against the iron grip around me, calling out Dimitri's name as the Strigoi sank his fangs into the side of his neck. And just like that, something inside me snapped.</p><p>"No!"</p><p>The iron grip around me was thrown back at the same time that the Strigoi was jolted away from Dimitri, skidding across the cave floor away from him. The moment I was free, I was charging back into the caves and dropped to my knees beside him.</p><p>"Comrade? Can you hear me?" I pleaded as I gripped his shoulders, shaking him to snap him out of the euphoric daze he was in from the bite. His eyes fluttered open and looked at me, but they weren't focused.</p><p>"Roza?" he mumbled, his hands ghosting over my arms as he tried to pull himself into a sitting position. I could hear my Mom and a few others running down the tunnel towards us, and I was sidetracked long enough by Dimitri to not see the Strigoi behind me and his hands wrap around my throat.<br/>
________________________________</p><p>Opening my eyes was the wrong thing to do. When I opened them, the fluorescent lights beamed down at me and I flinched back into the pillow. A small whimper escaped my lips at the sharp pain coursing through my head. That small, minuscule noise alerted the person sitting across the room and they moved towards me quickly. I felt someone lean over me and I cracked my eyes open to find my man above me, relief clear on his face.</p><p>Dimitri gave me a gentle smile and stroked my cheek softly, the backs of his fingers brushing against my skin. "Hi, Roza," he said quietly as he sat down on the edge of the bed. I turned my head into his touch, giving him a sigh as I held eye contact with him.</p><p>"Hey, Comrade."</p><p>Dimitri smiled again and slipped his hand into mine. "Roza, you've got to stop scaring me like that," he chastised with a hint of humour. I huffed, knowing that if I rolled my eyes it would send another blast of pain through my brain.</p><p>"Why does my head hurt so much?" I croaked, wincing at the roughness of my throat. He ran the back of his hand over my cheek with a sigh.</p><p>"Guardian Alto was right behind the Strigoi when it attacked you. Alto staked it and when it let go, you fell sideways and hit your head on a rock. The doctor says you're going to have a concussion."</p><p>I took a slow breath and swallowed roughly, my hand fluttering up to my neck and I brushed my fingers over the tender skin. "Is it bad?" I asked quietly, and the pained look on his face answered the question. I looked over and reached for the pitcher of water next to the bed, but Dimitri beat me to it, pouring some into a paper cup and bringing it to my lips.</p><p>I sipped carefully and groaned at the relief it brought to my throat. I gave Dimitri a thankful look as he pulled the cup away from me, but he had a serious look now. "We have a problem."</p><p>"What is it?"</p><p>"People are questioning what happened at the caves."</p><p>I rolled my eyes and immediately regretted it, but gave him a glance. "We can just say that it was fear? I don't know, you're my mentor to everyone else," I said, but the look in his eyes said that it wasn't what he was talking about, and it made fear settle in my stomach like a boulder.</p><p>"You don't mean about me going back for you, do you?"</p><p>"No. I mean about how you knocked Alto and your mom back ten feet, along with the Strigoi."</p><p>I raked my hands through my hair as my heart rate skyrocketed, sending the monitor into a fit. Dimitri's hands were on me quickly, pulling mine away from my hair that I was trying to yank out by the roots. He moved from the chair beside me to the edge of the bed and pulled me into a hug, his large arms engulfing me as he shushed me.</p><p>"Roza, take a deep breath. We will figure out a way to explain it off," he whispered but I could barely hear him. My blood was pounding in my ears. I could feel other sets of hands on me as they laid me back down and I didn't realize I was gasping for air until someone placed a paper bag in front of my mouth, trying to get me to focus filling and sucking the air out of the bag. My breathing slowly returned to normal and I discovered that it was Alberta who was holding the bag, her eyes staring into mine as she nodded her head.</p><p>"You're ok, Rose. Take a slow breath."</p><p>I listened and breathed slowly, my eyes drifting to Dimitri who moved to stand against the wall, his eyes filled with concern.</p><p>"There you go. Alright, Belikov? Can you please step out? I have some things I need to ask Rose about," Alberta said when I set the bag down on the bed. My eyes widened and caught Dimitri's again. If she was about to ask the questions I thought she was, I didn't want to be alone. Dimitri gave me a reassuring look that Alberta caught, and she sat down in the chair that Dimitri vacated.</p><p>I looked from Alberta to Dimitri and then back to Alberta, trying to figure out what to say. Dimitri seemed to understand my dilemma and came to sit at the end of my bed, his hand coming to rest on my clothed feet.</p><p>"Rose?"</p><p>I looked back to Alberta and let out a heavy sigh before slumping even further into the bed. "I don't even know where to start."</p><p>"We can start with me asking a question. I take it that you aren't leaving, Belikov?" Alberta stated as she crossed her arms over her chest. Dimitri shook his head and squeezed my ankle in an encouraging gesture. I nodded to Alberta and she stood to close the door and returned to the chair.</p><p>"What exactly happened that you could have pushed Alto away from you as far as you did?"</p><p>I squirmed uncomfortably in my spot, biting down as I processed my thoughts. I caught Dimitri's eye and could see that he wanted to help, but even he didn't know enough about the situation to divert the attention.</p><p>"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," I said softly, looking down at the blanket. I heard Alberta sigh and shift in her seat.</p><p>"Try me."</p><p>I closed my eyes and contemplated just how bad this could be. But then again, I was worried that Dimitri would react badly.</p><p>"How do I know that you won't tell anyone?" I asked in a small voice, one that I didn't even recognize as my own. Alberta looked at me with a stone mask as her eyes flicked from me to Dimitri.</p><p>"You just have to trust me. I'm asking you as someone who cares, do not make me ask as the Head Guardian of the academy."</p><p>I flinched at the bluntness of her voice and bit down on my lip again. Alberta noticed the motion and her expression softened slightly. Leaning forward and resting her arms on her legs, she sighed again and gave me a levelled look. "Please, Rose? I just want to know what happened."</p><p>"It might be easier if I show you instead," I said. Alberta gave me an encouraging look and waited for me to show her. I looked around the room for something that was small enough that I wouldn't feel drained after moving it. Coming up empty, I looked to Dimitri with a small smile and he quickly unfastened his watch, handing it to me.</p><p>Alberta looked mildly confused as I weighed the watch in my hand before lifting it with my mind, letting it hover a few inches over my palm before exhaustion took over and it dropped back into my hand. Dimitri quickly took the watch out of my hand and handed me a cup of water that I drank greedily.</p><p>"What did you just do?" Alberta whispered, her face showing her shock. I chuckled half-heartedly as I made myself comfortable in bed.</p><p>"What did it look like, Alberta?" I retorted tiredly. Alberta shook her head a few times before looking at Dimitri.</p><p>"Did you know about this?"</p><p>"I only found out this afternoon."</p><p>Alberta hummed to herself and opened her mouth to ask something else, but I think she realized the toll that put on my already exhausted body.</p><p>"I have more questions, but I will let you get some sleep. I will come back in the morning."</p><p>I nodded carefully and rolled onto my side while tucking the blanket around me. Alberta placed her hand on the side of my head before leaving, giving me a tight smile before heading out. I felt Dimitri get up and press his lips to the side of my head gently and I rolled a bit to look at him.</p><p>"Do you have somewhere you need to be?" I asked through a yawn and he shook his head, tucking a wayward curl behind my ear. "Can you hold me for a bit? Just until I fall back asleep?"</p><p>Dimitri didn't respond verbally but got up on the bed behind me and wrapped his arm around my waist, gently pulling me back to him and he rested his face in the crook of my neck. I hummed softly when he pressed his lips to my skin with a sigh, running his nose against the column of my neck before pressing another kiss behind my ear.</p><p>"I'm glad you're ok. I was really worried," he said softly as I ran my fingers over the arm holding me securely against him. I wiggled closer to him and turned my head enough to look at him. Dimitri lifted his head enough to catch my lips in a tender peck.</p><p>"I'm fine, Comrade. I always am."<br/>
________________________________</p><p>"I want to try something today," Dimitri said as we walked out to the field at the back of the academy. I pulled my bag higher onto my shoulder with a sigh. Three days after being discharged from the medical wing, Dimitri decided to continue our training. Now, Lissa and Eddie thought that with what happened I shouldn't have to do private training anymore, but I personally lived for the moments that were alone with Dimitri. They were still sparse.</p><p>"What's that?" I asked when we came to a stop in the clearing. I dropped my bag next to Dimitri's and waited for him to finish pulling whatever it was from his duffle. He pulled out his stake and tossed it a few feet from us. I frowned at him and went to go grab it, but he placed his hand on my stomach and stopped me.</p><p>"I want you to grab it while we spar."</p><p>"Okay?" I said with a confused laugh. He smirked and moved his hand from my stomach to my side, squeezing it before taking his hand away.</p><p>"I want you to do it with your mind. Could you imagine how useful it could be if you were to lose your stake mid-fight? To be able to pull it to you while engaging with an opponent. It can give you the upper hand," Dimitri explained as he moved away from our bags and got into position to spar. I looked from the stake to Dimitri with uncertainty but moved and got into position.</p><p>To say the practice was a success was comical. I managed to get the stake to roll a few inches, but that was all before Dimitri could pin me. I groaned in frustration the fifth time Dimitri pinned me, letting my hands fall to lay beside my head.</p><p>"Don't beat yourself up, Roza. You are doing great," Dimitri said as he moved to place his hands beside mine as he leaned over me, giving me a smile despite the sweat and exertion clear on his face. I huffed up at him with a scowl.</p><p>"I don't feel like I'm doing great. You've handed me my ass for the last hour while I only managed to make the damn thing roll!"</p><p>Dimitri sighed and pulled me up to my feet, cupping my cheek. "It's just like every other muscle. You have to practice and stretch the muscle. You will get the hang of it, Roza."</p><p>I sighed and leaned into his touch, silently basking in the roughness against my skin. I held his gaze as I placed my hand over his, prolonging the touch. The moment was far too short for my liking, and Dimitri pulled away only to let his fingers brush over my lips before it fell to his side.</p><p>Dimitri picked up my bag and his and tilted his head to the side, gesturing that it was time for us to leave. I groaned both in soreness and reluctance but followed anyway. We took the long way back to my door, basking in the final rays of sunlight before Dimitri spoke.</p><p>"How did this come about? Your powers, I mean," he asked. I chewed my lip and sighed deeply. He seemed to think that meant I didn't want to talk about it, but I simply didn't know where to start.</p><p>"I think it started the night of the accident. I never had the ability to move things before, but a few days later, I got upset before going to the funeral and I… honestly, it was like a bomb went off. Kirova let it slide due to "emotional distress" because of the accident but I think that was when it came to the surface. My room was trashed. Like objects broken, clothing all over the place, my bed was moved back by like five feet. I haven't had a moment like that again until…"</p><p>"Until?"</p><p>"Until I watched that Strigoi grab onto you. When I knocked Stan and my mom back. I think when I experience an immense amount of emotion it becomes harder to control," I said as I brushed my hair away from my face. Dimitri seemed to ponder this for a few minutes as we walked, but I noticed that he seemed to be walking closer to me than he normally would. Maybe he felt the need to comfort me subconsciously and it made him move closer, or maybe he was letting his guard down a little given that no one else was up at this time.</p><p>We reached the Novice dorms all too soon and I reluctantly took my bag back from him. He looked around quickly before pressing his lips to my cheek. I smiled and stepped towards him, wrapping my arms around his waist and resting my head on his chest. He was hesitant for a moment before wrapping his arms around me and gave me a light squeeze.</p><p>"I'll see you in a few hours, Roza. I love you," he whispered in my ear. I sighed and pulled away, giving him a small smile.</p><p>"I love you, too."<br/>
________________________________</p><p>This kind of came to me a few weeks ago and I've been toying with the idea since. Like it? Hate it? Let know.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>Lissa's disapproving gaze made me shift uncomfortably in my seat, her jade eyes boring into my soul.</p><p>"What do you mean you can't come?" Lissa whined, pouting her lip at me while I shook my head. Lissa was hell bent on going on another shopping trip, but I really didn't have the time to skip out on my assignments. I was already behind. Although, if I really needed help, I could just ask Dimitri. He seemed like the kind of guy who was a straight A student when he was at St. Basils.</p><p>"I doubt they'd let me go, Liss. Besides, I don't really have the funds to go shopping and I don't want to dip into yours. You buy me enough," I said as I played with my soggy fries. I should have gotten the sweet potato fries; they would have been better and fresh.</p><p>Lissa crossed her arms and leaned against the table in a very unprincess like manner before turning her eyes on Christian and Adrian, begging them to help persuade me. Christian sighed while Adrian just raised his brows at me.</p><p>"C'mon Lil Dhampir, it'll be lots of fun!" Adrian said in the most obnoxious voice ever. I narrowed my eyes at him and flung the fry between my fingers at him.</p><p>"I doubt they would even let you off the premises. All three of you are royals and there was just an attack. They are hard pressed for Guardians right now," I said, trying to find another argument. I knew that saying I didn't want to go would be easier, but not accepted. Sometimes, I wished Lissa would just listen to what I said.</p><p>I faced Eddie who gave me a shrug and a look that said <em>what can you do</em> before getting up to refill his plate. I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms over my chest, silently counting down the minutes until I could bolt for training with Dimitri.</p><p>I tuned out Lissa's conversation and was happily surprised when a plate of sweet potato fries was placed in front of me. I gave Eddie a large smile before digging into them, groaning because they were hot. Maybe with the amount of students leaving the academy, the staff decided to bless us with somewhat decent food. I scarfed down my food in record time, glancing up to find out that not only had dinner come to an end, but I was now behind on getting to the gym.</p><p>"I've got to go guys! See you later!" I said, jumping up and grabbing my bag from under the table. I collected my garbage as they all waved to me and I scurried from the dining hall.</p><hr/><p>As if the day wasn't bad enough, it was pouring outside and by the time I got to the gym, I was soaked. Not just, oh-it's-raining and I had to run through it, I was soaked as if I decided to jump into the lake fully clothed.</p><p>I flicked my hair out of my eyes and pushed my way into the gym, dropping my bag and rummaging through it for my towel. I wiped myself off as I went about getting the equipment out that we would need today, practice stakes, breast pads, I even searched for an extra towel for my sopping hair.</p><p>I found one and sighed in triumph when the lights went out, sending the gym into complete darkness. I groaned and tossed the now wet towel to the ground. "Very funny, Dimitri. I know you're there."</p><p>Usually when Dimitri wanted to sneak up on me, he would rob me of my sight, forcing me to rely on my other senses. But the footfalls didn't match his, and my defense went up. We may have the wards back up, but I wouldn't put it past a human, or other Guardian to cause any issues around campus. I spun around in time to block a punch to the stomach, and I immediately went on the defensive, holding my arms up to block my face and stomach. I couldn't gather if it was a man or woman, but they were taller than I was and easily a Guardian by the way they fought. Because of how dark it was outside from the rain, I couldn't get my eyes to adjust in here, and I really was fighting blind. I buckled when a blow hit the back of my knee and the offensive member took the advantage.</p><p>They had me pinned down, my shoulders grinding against the wooden floor beneath me. I was able to grapple with them, but I flailed around trying to get them off of me. An irrational part of me was scared and wished I had something to fight them off with.</p><p>
  <em>The practice stakes!</em>
</p><p>I continued to grapple with the person above me as I pictured the stake in my head, willing it to meet my fingers. I heard the sound of wood clatter against wood before I felt the stake in my hand, and I swung the blunt end up.</p><p>"Fuck!" a feminine voice exclaimed and the weight above me was gone. The lights came on and momentarily blinded me before I jumped to my feet to find that the person who fought me was Alberta.</p><p>"Oh my God! I'm so sorry!" I gasped as I dropped the stake to the ground and crouched down beside her. She looked up at me with her hand to her head and waved me off.</p><p>"Don't apologize! You did fantastic, but you hit like a man," she groaned while pulling herself to her feet. I got up to my feet and rubbed at my shoulder blade when a familiar presence settled behind me.</p><p>"I told you that learning to grab a stake mid fight would save you. You hit Alberta right as she was going in for the kill strike," Dimitri said, handing me a towel. I nodded in appreciation and took the towel, wrapping it around my shoulders.</p><p>"You did really good, Rose! I can see why Dimitri has been so insistent on continuing the training sessions. It's beneficial," Alberta praised, and I silently glowed under it. It wasn't not often the Head Guardian praised a Novice, and I was going to drink up every bit of it.</p><p>"Thank you," I said while Alberta rubbed at her head. "Alright, I'm going to the clinic. You hit really hard," Alberta said with a laugh. I nodded while Dimitri walked back with Alberta to the door and shut it tightly.</p><p>I groaned and stretched my back, knowing that I was going to have bruises tomorrow. I pulled my hair out of the braid and roughly put it up in a ponytail.</p><p>"You know, these sneak attacks are getting predictable," I said to Dimitri with an eye roll, turning to face him with crossed arms. Dimitri raised his brow at me, the corners of his mouth hitching up at one side.</p><p>"Yes, but this one wasn't as predictable. But I am very happy that it worked. You did exactly what I wanted you to," he said, taking the towel from me. I shook my head and poked him in the stomach, though there wasn't much to poke and my finger came in contact with the hard muscles there. I gave myself just a moment of touch, resting the pads of my fingers on his abs for a moment before pulling away.</p><p>Dimitri caught my hand and held it for a moment, letting his thumb brush across my knuckles. "Is your shoulder ok? You fell pretty hard," he asked. I shrugged and winced, giving him a small smile. Not much was going to get past him.</p><p>He tugged my hand and pulled me towards the small office attached to the gym where they keep the first aid kits and supplies.</p><p>"Take your shirt off," Dimitri said, opening the cabinet to get the first aid kit. I rolled my eyes and pulled my shirt over my head.</p><p>"If you wanted me naked Comrade, all you had to do was ask," I joked as I set my shirt on the table. I could practically feel Dimitri roll his eyes at me as he prodded at my back. I held back the small groan that bubbled up in my throat, but the gasp slipped through. Dimitri gently stroked my side in apology before going back to work on my shoulder.</p><p>"It's not horrible. You broke the skin here," Dimitri said as he brushed his fingers over two spots, "and you are going to bruise. But you should heal up in a few days."</p><p>I turned my head to look over my shoulder at him, meeting his eyes so he knew that I heard what he said. Although, he used that as a distraction to press the gauze doused in alcohol against the torn skin and I hissed.</p><p>"Sorry," he said as I narrowed my eyes at him. I sniffed and turned back to face the wall while he finished with my shoulders. He put on a few bandages before pressing a gentle kiss to the back of my neck, just below where I would get my promise mark.</p><p>I turned to look at Dimitri and smiled at him while his hand came up to my face. I leaned into his hand before stepping closer to him and raised up on my toes, my face just a breath away from his. I was hyper-aware of his other hand coming to rest on my bare waist, gently coaxing me towards him. I could feel the heat from his body as I stretched up further and brushed my lips against his, and that was all it took for him to crush his lips against mine.</p><p>I let out a small moan against his lips as I stumbled back into the table and his arm slid around my waist. If I could, I would have practically climbed him to get closer, but the contrast between his dry clothes and my wet ones was startling. It also brought me out of my haze.</p><p>I pulled away with a groan and rested my forehead against Dimitri's, letting my breath wash across his face. Dimitri sighed and lifted his hands to stroke my cheeks. "Sorry, I got a little carried away," he said. I laughed lightly and pecked his lips twice.</p><p>"It's ok. I did too. But I'm soaked and it's starting to become uncomfortable," I said. Dimitri chuckled and said something under his breath in Russian to which I raised my brows. He smiled in a way that seemed mischievous and leaned down to kiss my cheek.</p><p>"Head on back to your dorm, Roza. We'll skip training today."</p><p>I gave him a cheeky smile and pulled my shirt back over my head. "Thank you! I really didn't want to go through with practice wet, or with a hurt shoulder."</p><p>Dimitri gave me a smile before turning to put all the stuff away, and I skipped from the gym, already dreaming about curling up in my bed.</p><hr/><p>"ROSE! Open the door!"</p><p>I groaned and rolled over in bed, shoving my head under the pillow. The thumping at my door continued, and a part of me wanted to cry in disappointment. There is no way it was time for training. I lifted my head up to find that not only was it too early for classes, but the sun had only risen a few hours earlier. I was only asleep for three hours.</p><p>I pushed myself up and stumbled from bed, wrenching the door open and leaning against it with one eye open.</p><p>"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Lissa squealed as she launched herself at me, and I stumbled back from the door. I wrapped my arms around her with a grunt and steadied the two of us.</p><p>"Liss, what are you doing? You're supposed to be asleep… like I was," I said as she pulled away.</p><p>Lissa looked surprisingly chipper for being up so early. Or late. Whichever.</p><p>"We are going shopping, so get dressed!" she exclaimed before heading back into the hall. I groaned loudly and swung the door shut, but not hard enough for it to close all the way. I was too tired for that. I shuffled back to bed and flopped down onto it, cuddling my pillow as I got back into a comfortable position. I used to laugh when people would lay on their stomachs with their one knee pulled up, but it was surprisingly comfortable.</p><p>I was almost asleep again when I heard my door creak.</p><p>"You really should wear pants to bed, Rose. You never know who may come into your room."</p><p>I lifted my head and peered at Dimitri as he leaned against the doorframe before flopping back into bed. Hey, if I didn't make statements when people wore pajama sets to bed, nobody should have said anything about me wearing a tank top and underwear to bed.</p><p>"It's not like you haven't seen it before," I mumbled into my pillow. I heard Dimitri's soft chuckle before the door shut and the edge of my bed dipped.</p><p>"Happy birthday," Dimitri said as he ran his hand through my hair. I hummed and turned my head.</p><p>"Thank you, but if I'm going to get ready to go, you need to leave."</p><p>Dimitri laughed and pressed his lips to my forehead. "It's not like I haven't seen it before," he mocked before getting up and gently swatting my butt. I squeaked and sat up as he walked out the door, winking at me in his departure.</p><p>I huffed and finally got out of bed, getting ready to go. I yanked a brush through my hair and pulled on some comfortable but nice looking clothes and headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth. I saw Dimitri standing at the end of the hallway and I waved at him half heartedly as I wandered in.</p><p>I brushed quickly and headed back out to the hall and headed down to meet Dimitri.</p><p>"I'm not going as part of training, right?" I asked through a yawn. Dimitri shook his head and ran his thumb over the corner of my mouth. I furrowed my brows at him but he gave me a smirk before directing me towards the stairs.</p><p>"Toothpaste."</p><p>I nodded my head and wiped my hand over my mouth to make sure I got all of the dried paste before we headed to the others. I winced as the door opened and I was met by the sunlight, but smiled regardless.</p><p>We met Lissa, Christian, Adrian and Eddie at the cars and I was surprised to see that there were two other Guardians there. Lissa skipped over and gave me another hug while Christian said happy birthday. I was swooped into a hug by Eddie the minute Lissa let me go.</p><p>"Ready to get your shop on?" Eddie asked as he put me down. I chuckled and playfully punched his shoulder.</p><p>"Are you?" I asked.</p><p>"I think we all are. Besides, we have to get your gifts," Adrian said as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder, which I slid out from under. I didn't want to give him the wrong impression by letting him do that.</p><p>One of the Guardians guided everyone into the SUV and I climbed into the back, hoping to catch a few more hours of sleep on the drive to Missoula. Dimitri climbed in beside me and I practically thanked the heavens that Adrian didn't sit beside me.</p><p>"I'm so excited! We haven't been shopping in so long!" Lissa exclaimed from the middle row. I nodded and rested my head against the headrest, pulling my legs up onto the seat. Lissa chatted on about all the shops she wanted to stop at but I started to zone out, my eyes fluttering closed.</p><hr/><p>Love it, hate it, let me know in the reviews!:)</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm sorry for such the long wait for an update, time kind of got away on me! I have this story cross-posted so I will be updating a few chapters at once.<br/>If you like the chapter let me know in the comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Rose, we're here."</p><p>I opened my eyes to find Eddie leaning over the seat, shaking my arm. I groaned and stretched out as much as I could before crawling out of the van. I stumbled out of the van to come face to face with Alto, and I held my groan in.</p><p>"Glad to see you're awake, Hathaway. We could hear you snoring in the front seat," he said flatly and I let the groan out. I didn't snore.</p><p>"Oh leave her alone, she had no idea we were going. She only got a few hours of sleep," Adrian said as he snubbed out his cigarette. Alto had a look on his face like he smelled something bad before heading towards the door and opening it for Lissa. I gave Adrian a half-smile and headed towards the entrance as well.</p><p>"Ok! I think that for the first bit Rose and I are going to split off while you three go. We'll meet up at lunch?" Lissa said as she linked arms with me. She may have phrased it like a question, but it was more like a statement. What she wanted, went. And I had a feeling the whole trip would be like this.</p><p>I smirked when Dimitri and another Guardian paired up and went with us through the stores and I watched Lissa go through them like a tornado, picking out things and ringing them in. I gave up on trying to get her to stop trying to buy me things after the third store. It was completely useless.</p><p>"So. I really need to pick out more lingerie. I am getting low," Lissa said as we walked and I frowned. She was getting low because of Christian, and I really didn't want to think about that. She stirred me into Victoria's Secret and I wrinkled my nose a bit. I watched as Dimitri and Weston, the other Guardian, spread out in the store, but stayed close enough that they could keep an eye on Lissa.</p><p>I moved away from her and browsed through the garments, not really finding anything of interest. I looked up to find Lissa already loading up a sales representative with things to try on before looking around again. I caught Dimitri's eye a couple of feet over and smirked slightly. He was looking around at some interesting lingerie and when he met my eyes he laughed quietly.</p><p>I shook my head and let my eyes fall to a pretty black bralette in the display below me. Usually, I would be drawn towards the more flashy stuff, but this was simple with black lace around the edging. It was pretty but simple. I picked up my size and carefully lifted my eyes to Dimitri's again before giving him a wink. He didn't respond with more than a wink himself. I wandered through and picked another bra in blue and some more underwear before heading to the change room.</p><p>"Oh, those are cute!" Lissa said as she put her rejects onto the table. I gave her a smile and headed into the change room to try them on. I had to admit, they weren't much, but they looked nice on. There was a quiet knock on the door and I furrowed my brows.</p><p>"Liss?"</p><p>I turned around when a hand appeared over the door.</p><p>"Your friend asked me to bring you this," the salesman said as he held a bra and pantie set over the door. I shrugged and took it. I was also surprised that they had men working in the store. It was pretty, but not something I would have picked for myself at first glance. Also, not a colour I would have picked for myself. The moss green fabric was soft and I admired the delicate lace on the panties.</p><p>I pulled it on and was surprised to see how much the colour complimented my skin tone and how the cut of the bra enhanced what I already had. Definitely a winner. I quickly changed back into my clothes and exited the change room, taking my choices with me.</p><p>I quickly caught up with Lissa and put down my belongings, already knowing that she wouldn't let me pay for them myself.</p><p>"Oh, that is so pretty! I didn't even see that in the store!" Lissa exclaimed as the green fabric caught her eye. I frowned a little bit at her claim but shrugged it off. As we headed out of the store, I saw the male sales associate and tapped him on the shoulder.</p><p>"Hi, you brought me a set earlier and said my friend asked you to. Which friend told you?" I asked quietly, mindful that Lissa was just out of earshot.</p><p>The sales representative gave me a smirk and jutted his chin out, gesturing behind me. "That tall, handsome guy," he said with a small laugh. I turned and saw Dimitri slowly making his way towards the front of the store, giving me a ghost of a smile as he walked by.</p><p>"Oh," I said as heat rose to my cheeks and I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. The guy must have taken that in a disapproving manner and quickly stumbled over his words.</p><p>"Was it bad that he did? Or do you not know him?" he asked quickly. I chuckled and waved his apology off.</p><p>"No, no. I know him, I just wasn't expecting it. Thank you though," I said and I said my goodbyes.</p><p>I walked to catch up with Lissa but she had already found Christian in the food court, so I slowed my pace enough that Dimitri was just a few steps behind me. I smirked to myself and let the bag in my hand swing a bit, putting a small amount of sway to my step. It was my birthday, and I'd be a tease if I wanted to.</p><hr/><p>The SUV was quiet on our drive back, almost everyone asleep bar me and the Guardians. I reclaimed my seat beside Dimitri in the back and was happily content with only our knees, shoulders and fingers brushing.</p><p>"Green?" I asked quietly to Dimitri, keeping my gaze out the window as the countryside zoomed by us. Dimitri didn't respond verbally but stretched his fingers out to graze over the top of my hand a few times. I turned and gave him raised brows which he returned with a smirk.</p><p>I breathed slowly out of my nose and crossed my arms over my chest and stretched out as much as I could, slouching down in the cushion. I sighed happily as I closed my eyes, trying to keep the quip from crossing my lips, but it did anyway.</p><p>"I don't know when you'll get to see it, but I did buy it. It looks really hot, too."</p><p>Dimitri's hand startled me when it moved to my thigh and he gave it a firm squeeze, but with how close his hand was to the apex of my legs, I shivered a little. Damn Russian God. Now, I was thinking of other places he could squeeze. He moved his hand back after that with a low growl and settled into the seat too, not quite mimicking my position, but clearly more relaxed as he surveyed the surroundings outside.</p><p>Getting through the gate and back to campus took less time than I thought and the sun was already setting when we started to unload the back. I approached Lissa and gave her a long hug, whispering my thanks for what she had done for me. I may not have wanted to go shopping in the first place, but I was glad we went and I really did love what she bought me.</p><p>"It's a little late tonight, but how about we all get breakfast tomorrow since it's Saturday and everyone else can give you their gifts?"</p><p>I nodded and watched as she and Christian headed towards the Moroi dorms while Eddie and I headed towards ours.</p><p>"Are you going to give me a preview of those delicate delights you bought?" Adrian asked around the cigarette in his mouth as he matched strides with me. I grimaced and looked at him out of the corner of my eye.</p><p>"No. Why would I?" I replied, switching my bags to my other hand when the weight got uncomfortable. Adrian shrugged and exhaled a cloud of smoke, rubbing his bottom lip with his thumb.</p><p>"Because no one buys <em>that</em> if they don't have someone they want to wear it for," he said, gesturing to the pink and black bag. I huffed and shook my head at him.</p><p>"I bought a few pairs of underwear. Is that a crime?" I said but I felt a heavy bit of snark in my tone.</p><p>Adrian shrugged and took a long drag as we walked. I said my goodbyes to Eddie when we reached the male dorms and turned to Adrian, crossing my arms the best I could with my bags. "I'm going to bed now. You should probably go too," I said. Adrian gave a half-hearted nod before saying goodbye and heading off towards guest housing. I took the opportunity to tilt my head back to face the setting sun, breathing in a deep breath as the last few rays caressed my skin.</p><p>I trudged back to my dorm and fished my key out of my pocket before throwing my shoulder against the door to open it, only to find a small box on the bed. A box that I hadn't left there. I dropped my bags inside the door and plopped down on my bed and pulled the box into my lap, pulling the card that was attached off and opening it.</p><p>
  <em>Happy 18</em>
  <em>th</em>
  <em> Birthday, my love</em>
</p><p>I smiled in the darkness before setting it down beside me and pulled the lid of the box off. The inside was a hodgepodge of things: Hand wraps in red, a few bags of candy, a package of hair ties, a few tubes of my favourite lip gloss, and a small felt pouch. I picked up the pouch and weighed it in my hands for a moment before pulling the purse strings and upending the pouch in my hand.</p><p>A small cross fell out of the bag into my palm, and I recognized it immediately. It was his cross. I was slightly stunned and touched at the same time. This wasn't the cross that he wore around his neck all the time, but I could tell that it held sentimental value. While it wasn't tarnished, there were small nicks in the gold and scratches, but it was well worn and loved. I looped it over my head and tucked it into my shirt, resting my hand over it before looking through the box a bit more.</p><p>I wonder when he had time to do this?</p><p>I shifted through the box and found a folded long sleeve in the bottom and I ran my fingers over the stiff cotton. I pulled it out and brought it to my nose, smiling widely with a small giggle at the smell of Dimitri on it. I quickly stripped down to my underwear and pulled it on before crawling into bed, tucking my nose into the collar. Even if he couldn't be here right now, he was in my heart.</p><hr/><p>I carefully tucked my necklace under my sweater as I entered the cafeteria, and sat down at the table next to Eddie. He gave me a smile and slid the plate he had in front of him to me, and I was delighted to find a chocolate glazed doughnut. I munched on it while we waited for our Moroi friends to return from the feeders.</p><p>"Did you have a good birthday?" Eddie asked as he drummed his fingers against the table. I nodded as I shoved the last of the doughnut into my mouth.</p><p>"Good, good," he said, biting his lip and looking down at the table, clearly troubled.</p><p>"What's up?" I asked.</p><p>He looked back at me and took a glance at how many people were near us, which wasn't a lot considering we were there early. "Can I ask you something and you answer me with complete honesty?"</p><p>I nodded while I continued to chew. "I heard what you said to Dimitri in the backseat yesterday. What was that about?"</p><p>The surprise I felt was clear as I did a perfect movie spit take, spraying doughnut all over the table while choking on it at the same time. Eddie slid his glass of juice to me and I sipped to clear my throat, panic flooding through my body. What did he overhear?!</p><p>"What- what are you talking about?" I stammered through my coughing, tears rolling down my cheeks. Eddie patted my back when I was finally able to catch my breath.</p><p>"You were talking about something you bought that was green? It sounded… not casual," Eddie explained, his voice so low that it was barely a whisper.</p><p>I looked up at him and my face must have shown the panic I was feeling because Eddie looked shocked too. I opened my mouth to give some kind of excuse but I was saved by a princess instead.</p><p>"Oh good! You're here! We have presents!" Lissa said enthusiastically as she dropped a few bags on the table. I chuckled at Lissa's excitement. She was more excited about me having gifts than I was. I looked at Eddie and he gave me a look that said, <em>we will continue this later.</em></p><p>The gifts I got were a little over the top from Lissa, but I did get some cool stuff from Adrian and Christian. Overall, they were all extremely thoughtful and I loved them. I thanked them and compiled it all into one bag, which was difficult but I made it work. I was excited to wear the new jeans Lissa bought me and I was so thankful for the muscle gel that Eddie bought me. Adrian was less than practical with his gift, gifting me a purse that was worth more money than I would make in a month and probably would never use, but it was nonetheless pretty.</p><p>"Did you hear from your mom?" Christian asked and I shook my head. As far as I knew, Mom was in Nepal with her charge. I wouldn't expect a card or anything from her. I hadn't in the past. "Oh, that's no good. Did Guardian Belikov get you anything?"</p><p>I swallowed and shrugged. What was with everyone asking about Dimitri today? "Why would he?" I asked nonchalantly.</p><p>Lissa laughed and flipped her platinum hair over her shoulder. "You two seem close," she said, but left the topic there. I could feel Eddie's eyes on me the longer we sat at the table, and I did everything I could to not fidget in my seat. I looked up to the clock on the wall and breathed a sigh of relief. It was late enough now that I could bag off to go train, and nobody could say anything.</p><p>I picked up my stuff and practically sprinted for my dorm to switch it with my gym bag, tucking the new hand wraps into the pouch and dashing for the gym. I pulled my hair up as I walked into the change room and set about getting changed and walked out. I was met with a mouth-watering sight.</p><p>I was usually met with Dimitri laying on the mat with a book in his hand, but I never got to see him work out without me. At the far end of the gym was something that almost looked like a massive pegboard and we used it for climbing. It wasn't used often, but I didn't mind watching Dimitri do it. I took for granted how muscular he was and I thoroughly enjoyed watching the muscles in his shoulder and back move as he moved the handholds from one hole to another.</p><p>Dimitri reached the top and jumped down to the couch, landing with a quiet thud and spinning around to face me. I straightened up and gave him a small smile as he walked towards me and he returned the smile with one of his own.</p><p>"Ready? I thought we could do some cross country laps today. It's beautiful out," Dimitri said as he bent down to tighten his shoelaces. I nodded and propped my foot up on the bench to do the same. Dimitri held the door open for me as we headed out to the track. We started out with some stretching and a warm-up lap before we headed off for the ward lines, doing our laps there.</p><p>We ran in silence for the first two kilometres and my thoughts kept falling back to Eddie. Could I outright lie to him?</p><p>"…And I am secretly a leprechaun here to steal your gold."</p><p>I shook my head and looked at Dimitri. "What?" I laughed.</p><p>Dimitri looked out of the corner of his eye at me. "I've been talking to you for five minutes. What's on your mind?"</p><p>I huffed and stopped in my place which made him double back. I bent down at the waist and rested my hands on my knees, taking in a few deep breaths. "Eddie said something to me earlier and I don't know how to respond to it."</p><p>Dimitri stood in front of me and folded his arms over his chest as he waited for me to catch my breath.</p><p>"He overheard us talking in the car last night about what I bought," I said as I straightened up. I chewed at my lip as I waited for his response. That damn mask. I hated it when he had his Guardian face on with me.</p><p>"Dimitri?"</p><p>Dimitri was silent as he looked at me and panic really started to set in. "Dimitri?" I asked, feeling pitiful when my voice cracked. The small amount of vulnerability broke him out of his train of thought and he stepped towards me and pulled me into his embrace. I pressed my face against his chest and twisted my fingers into his shirt and practically moulded myself to him. It was moments like this where his size made me feel small, but at the same time, it made me feel so safe. Like nothing in the world could touch me.</p><p>Dimitri's hand weaved its way into my hair despite the ponytail and he held me against him, his head dipping down to rest against mine. I pulled away enough to look up at him and I could see a small twinge of worry in his eyes.</p><p>"Did he say anything else?"</p><p>I shook my head and bit down on my bottom lip again, my thoughts wandering. Dimitri brought his hand up and gently pulled my lip from my teeth. "You've made yourself bleed," he said softly and I licked my lip out of habit.</p><p>Dimitri pulled me back to him and rubbed my back in small circles. "We'll be ok," he whispered.</p><hr/><p>I tossed my bag onto the floor and flicked on the light and groaned. I looked up from the ground to find an unexpected visitor sitting on my bed.</p><p>"Jesus!"</p><p>Eddie sat up from where he was laying on my bed and rolled his eyes at me. "You keep your spare key above the door. I figured this was a conversation we shouldn't have in public," Eddie said as he stood up. "Nice shirt, by the way," Eddie said sarcastically, picking up the men's shirt in a heap on my bed.</p><p>I crossed my arms over my stomach as I bounced the tip of my shoe on the carpet. "What is it that you want to know, Eddie?"</p><p>Eddie stood up from his place and walked towards me, his face pinched. "Are you screwing your mentor?"</p><p>I sighed and rubbed my nose with the side of my hand. "I wouldn't say screwing," I whispered and Eddie groaned.</p><p>"It's not what you think, Eddie," I started by Eddie cut me off.</p><p>"Then please, by all means, explain. Because from the way it looks, it looks like you and him are doing something illegal. So I want to know if my best friend is a hussy."</p><p>I pulled my chair out from my desk and sat down, twisting my fingers. "It's kind of a long story," I said and he sat down on my bed again. He gave me a gesture to go on and I took a deep breath and started from the beginning. He sat quietly and listened and didn't interrupt once. He narrowed his eyes when I got to the lust charm and he frowned when I told him about the night on the roof at the ski lodge. I finally got around to what happened before the attack and gave the cliff notes.</p><p>He sat there for a few minutes without saying anything. "Look, if you're going to turn us in, just give me a few minutes to say goodbye to him," I whispered, looking down at my lap. The tightness in my chest was becoming hard to deal with and I could hear my shampoo and conditioner start to rattle on my dresser and the bottle of body spray rolled right off the top of it, clattering to the floor loudly.</p><p>Eddie looked over at it and furrowed his brow before standing up and heading for the door. Oh God, he was going to turn us in. I pressed my lips together and tilted my head down, forcing the sob that was working its way up to stop. I could literally feel my heart breaking in my chest as the tears that burned my eyes escaped. I lifted my hand up to my chest and wrapped my fingers around the gold token of Dimitri's love and rubbed my thumb against the back of it.</p><p>"I need to think this over," Eddie said as he pulled my door open, and closed it firmly behind him. The moment the door latched shut I let the floodgates go and I pressed my hands against my face, muffling the sound of my tears.</p><p>I had maybe two minutes of self-pity before there was a knock at the door. I huffed and stood up to answer the door to find the dorm matron.</p><p>"I saw Novice Castile leave a few moments ago. Why was he in your room?" he asked. I wiped my face and sniffled.</p><p>"We were having a conversation about Mason. Is it a crime for him to be up here? It's not curfew yet," I said as I placed my hand on my hip. I knew that my face was blotchy and my eyes were red, but there were no rules about male Novices not being allowed in dorms as long as it wasn't past curfew.</p><p>The matron raised a brow at me before shaking his head and heading down the hall. I shook my head and shut the door, latching the lock before changing for bed. I curled up under the covers before I let my tears fall again.</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>Please do not hate me! I promise I will make it up to you!</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Let me know what you think! :)</strong>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p>Eddie practically avoided me for the next three days after our conversation and I only saw Dimitri in training, but because of the fast-approaching trials, we weren't alone long enough to actually talk. Lissa was all about Christian lately so I didn't see her either. I felt like I was suffocating with all the silence. I found myself wandering around campus more than I normally would, and even started sneaking out at night to sit in the dorm room. It surely would have gotten me kicked out but I really needed the sun's rays.</p>
<p>I dragged myself down to dinner and barely ate any of it. While I still ate with Lissa, Christian and Adrian, it felt lonely without Eddie. A foot nudged against mine and I looked up from my plate to find Adrian's gaze boring down at mine.</p>
<p>"What's wrong?" he asked.</p>
<p>"What are you talking about?" I said as I put a mouthful of food in my mouth so I didn't have to talk. Adrian narrowed his eyes at me but opened his mouth when a tray dropped onto the table beside me. It startled all of us and pulled Lissa away from shoving her tongue down Christian's throat.</p>
<p>"We were starting to wonder if you were going to come for dinner," Adrian said to Eddie as he set his bag down on the floor next to me. I turned and looked at him and he had his own mask in place.</p>
<p>Eddie snorted a laugh and dug into his food. "You weren't here at lunch yesterday. Where were you?" Christian asked.</p>
<p>Eddie shrugged and continued eating. "I had a meeting with Guardian Petrov."</p>
<p>I heard my fork clatter down onto my tray and I gaped at him. What?!</p>
<p>"Oh, what did you have to talk to her about?" Christian asked but Eddie just shrugged.</p>
<p>"It's private," he mumbled as he started eating. I felt like my heart dropped to my feet and then lodged itself in my throat. I kept my eyes trained on him but he blatantly ignored me. I shook my head slightly and pulled my own bag from under the table before heading towards the exit.</p>
<p>"Rose?! Where are you going?" Lissa called after me, but the door slammed behind me loudly as I let my feet carry me to the only place I wanted to go.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The sound of the tumblers in the lock altered me and I sat up on the bed, swallowing roughly. Dimitri stepped through the door and pulled off his coat and hung it up before he noticed me. If I wasn't so upset, watching him jump at the sight of me would have made me laugh.</p>
<p>"Roza? How did you get in here?" he asked, turning to lock the door before coming closer to me. I wrapped my arms around myself and rubbed my feet together.</p>
<p>"It wasn't hard to figure out where you hide your other key," I said, but my throat was so thick it barely came past my lips. Dimitri caught it and came to sit down beside me and placed his hand on my back, rubbing a circle over my shoulders. I leaned into his touch and rested my head against his arm.</p>
<p>"Want to tell me what's bothering you?" he asked quietly and I sighed. I didn't even know where to start.</p>
<p>"Eddie knows. He came to my room and demanded to know what was going on. He practically called me a slut and it all just came out like word vomit. I couldn't stop! It just tumbled out and I just…" I started but Dimitri slid off the bed and crouched in front of me, cupping my face in his hands.</p>
<p>"Rose, stop. Breathe."</p>
<p>"Eddie had a meeting with Alberta," I blurted out before the waterworks started. God, this whole situation was making me emotional. Dimitri was quiet for a few minutes as he stroked my cheek, but he looked far off. "I'm sorry," I mumbled through my tears and Dimitri pulled me into a hug, his face tucking into the side of my neck.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry," I cried again, wrapping my arms tightly around him. Dimitri nodded against me before pressing his lips against my skin.</p>
<p>"I know," he whispered, squeezing me tighter. I tried to stop my tears but they were falling at such a rate that it was impossible. Dimitri pulled me off the edge of the bed and stood up with me in his arms before laying down on the bed, tucking me against him. I repositioned myself and rested my head on his chest and laced my fingers with his as he rested our hands on his stomach.</p>
<p>"I know it's after curfew, but I don't want to leave," I mumbled. Dimitri's other hand came up and caressed the back of my head and he turned his head to press a kiss to my forehead.</p>
<p>"Just stay here tonight. Please?" he said. I nodded and shifted to kick my shoes off before winding my legs together with his.</p>
<p>"No matter what happens, I love you," Dimitri said, tangling his hand into my hair. I tilted my head up to look at him, giving him a watery smile. I stretched up and brushed my lips against his before settling back down on his chest.</p>
<p>"I meant to mention it earlier, but thank you for the necklace," I said as I pushed myself up enough to pull the chain from beneath my shirt. Dimitri had a fond smile on his face when his eyes laid on the cross. He reached out and brushed his fingers over it with a smile.</p>
<p>"I'm glad you like it. It was mine," he said. I smiled at him despite my shitty mood and leaned down to give him a proper kiss. He responded in kind and moved his mouth against mine. I pulled away with a sigh and let my eyes drop to his chest, pulling the gold chain around his neck.</p>
<p>"Where is this one from?"</p>
<p>"It was Ivan's. I started wearing it after he died to feel closer to him. The one I gave you is the one I've had since forever. It was a gift from my mother and I wanted you to have it. I know you aren't religious or spiritual, but I like knowing that you have it," he said gently, brushing his finger over my cheekbones to collect the tears that laid there. I gave him a small smile and rested my head in the crook of his neck and placed my hand over his chest.</p>
<p>I let my eyes close as the steady rhythm of his breathing lulled me into a cocoon of safety before succumbing to exhaustion.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"I was looking for you last night. Where did you go?" Lissa said as she sat beside me in class.</p>
<p>"I went for a run. By the time I realized what time it was, it was way past curfew so I had to sneak back in," I explained as I twirled my pen between my fingers. Lissa frowned but said nothing else and turned her attention to the front of the room as our class started. I barely paid attention to the class and my mind wandered. I knew that telling Eddie the truth was a risk but I didn't expect him to turn me in.</p>
<p>Lissa nudged my arm and I looked up at her only for her to jut her head towards the front of the room. I looked to see the Moroi teacher looking at me impatiently.</p>
<p>"Hathaway? Guardian Petrov needs to see you in her office."</p>
<p>I nodded and picked up my bag as I headed to the door. I took a slow breath as I walked to Alberta's office, gripping the strap on my bag so tightly that the fabric was digging into my skin. The sound of my shoes against the floor was deafening and it was almost like a ticking clock to my own demise. I came to a stop outside the office and waited for a moment, reaching my other hand up to stroke the necklace beneath my shirt, the only physical token I had of us.</p>
<p>I let go of it and raised my hand to the door, knocking twice. Alberta called me in and I opened the door. Alberta was sitting at her desk and gave me a nod, but the look on her face wasn't what I thought it would be. She seemed to have almost a smile on her face.</p>
<p>"Have a seat, Rose," she said. I closed the door and sat down in the chair in front of her desk. I set my bag down and trained my eyes on her. Alberta pulled the drawer from her desk and pulled out a thick envelope. It was almost bursting and was not like anything I've seen. It was almost yellow but more of a cream and on the back was a wax seal in a crimson red.</p>
<p>"You're eighteen now," Alberta mused, running her finger over the edge of the envelope. I nodded and shifted in my seat, unsure of how this conversation was going to go.</p>
<p>"When your mother signed you over to the academy, she left this too. She had asked me to keep it safe until you turned eighteen. I figured it was time that you got it."</p>
<p>Alberta extended her hand towards me and I took it from her, running my fingers over the paper. On the front was my name, but it wasn't in my mom's handwriting. This had more of a flourish to it. I looked from the envelope back to Alberta.</p>
<p>"This is it?"</p>
<p>Alberta raised her brow at me. "Pardon?"</p>
<p>"This is the only reason you needed to see me?" I asked. Alberta smiled and nodded.</p>
<p>"Ok then," I said as I tucked the letter into my bag and headed back to class.</p>
<p>It felt like an elephant no longer sat on my chest.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The envelope was taunting me. It was staring me down.</p>
<p>I bit down on my nail as I stared at the small package that called out to me with its black scrawling against the stark paper.</p>
<p>
  <em>Fuck it.</em>
</p>
<p>I got up and snatched it off my desk and got comfortable again in my bed, running my fingers over the imprint on the front. If my mom didn't write this, could it have been my father? I took a deep breath and ran my finger around the edge of the seal, not wanting to crack the beautiful design of the snake that glistened there. I pulled the folded paper out and unfolded it, noticing there was not just a letter, but photographs as well. I looked at the first one and smiled at it softly. It was <em>me</em> and <em>him</em>. It was my father. It was clear to see the two of us together. He was crouched down on one knee, me sitting on the other. I had to have been maybe two or three in the picture, but my hair was already unrulily and thick.</p>
<p>The look on his face as he held me made my heart throb. He looked at me the same way Mr. Dragomir would look at Lissa and Andre. I could see the love pouring out of him and could see how much I meant to him in this still shot. I set the photo down and looked down at the cursive script inking the pages in my hand and started reading.</p>
<p>
  <em>My dearest Rosemarie,</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Today is your 18</em>
  <em>th</em>
  <em> birthday, congratulations!</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>I wish I could be there to celebrate with you, but the likelihood of that is slim. I want to start by telling you that I love you and never wanted to leave you on your own. But I didn't have a choice, it was safer this way.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>We live in a world full of uncertainty as we live in a race that is unknown to the rest of the world. But we, you and I, have another secret. We can do things that others can't, including the Moroi. We were just born this way.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>I'm sure by now you've started to experience it, things moving on their own, the feeling like your whole world is shaking when you get upset. I know it may not seem like it, but I promise you aren't crazy. You are simply gifted, and strongly at that.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>That is why I'm not there. You started to show your abilities far too young, and it terrified me and your mother. But the more I put physical distance between us the less you could use your powers. It broke me to go, but I needed to keep you safe. You were too young to understand how to control it.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>I was sixteen when I first noticed it and it was in a situation that I hope you never have to discover. Strigoi are ghastly things and the first time I saw one, I froze. Pavel, my friend, was a Novice in training at the time and stepped between us. He had lifted a stake off of a Guardian before we felt campus, and I have never been more grateful for that.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>When the Strigoi pinned Pavel and he lost the stake, all I could think of was that I wished I could get it back for him. That thought alone was a catalyst, and that stake rolled right back to me. I hope that despite the fact that you may have your heart set on becoming a Guardian, you never suffer that feeling of fear.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>I hope that one day I will be able to see you again, to be able to teach you how to harness your raw talent. Maybe one day, we will be that lucky.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Regardless, I want you to know that the moment we knew you were coming, we couldn't have been happier. We both love you more than we thought was physically possible. Your mother may have a hard time showing what she feels, but you were the biggest thing in her heart.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Much love from your Baba,</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Ibrahim</em>
</p>
<p>I set the paper down in my lap so that I could wipe the tears from my cheeks. I was wanted! I wasn't a mistake my mom made when she was twenty. I pulled the other photos from the envelope and flipped through them. Ones of me and mom, me and Ibrahim, all three of us together.</p>
<p>The last picture was the one that made me the happiest. I didn't know who would have taken it, but it was all of us. Ibrahim laying on his side beside me with my mom mimicking the same position on my other side, both of them smiling at me as I reached up for them.</p>
<p>That was the upbringing I always wished I had.</p>
<p>I shuffled down in bed and laid the picture beside me, running my fingers over their smiles. It wasn't often Mom smiled, and I really did like seeing it. It was the same as mine.</p>
<hr/>
<p>"Alberta?" I said as I knocked on her open door. She looked up from her paperwork and held her finger up for me to wait. The four Guardians in the room, one of which being Dimitri, all turned and looked at me, nodding in greeting.</p>
<p>"What do you need?" Alberta asked as she handed papers to one of the Guardians. I shifted on my feet.</p>
<p>"Do you have my Mom's phone number? I need to talk to her about that letter," I said, clearing my throat. Alberta nodded and clicked on something on her computer. She wrote down the number and the connection codes before handing it to me on a sticky note. I smiled and took it from her.</p>
<p>"Did you know what was in there?"</p>
<p>"No."</p>
<p>I nodded and turned to head out the door, allowing her to finish with the Guardians. I got halfway to the cafeteria when I felt the mammoth presence behind me. I smiled to myself and turned my head enough to see him come to walk beside me.</p>
<p>"You're calling your mom? Willingly?"</p>
<p>I snorted and nodded my head. It was shocking considering we didn't usually reach out to each other, but this was something I really needed to talk to her about. I slowed my pace and walked leisurely which earned me a look from Dimitri.</p>
<p>"Oh, c'mon. Don't pull the mentor card. There are only fifteen minutes left of class and I really do need to call my mom. She should be ending her shift now," I pouted, batting my eyes at him. I knew that it didn't work on him, but he shook his head and stirred me out of the hallway.</p>
<p>"When are you scheduled on shift?" I asked as I stepped into an empty classroom. Dimitri closed the door and leaned against the edge of the main desk.</p>
<p>"I started at five. I'm on my lunch now. Do you want me to leave?" he replied. I shook my head and pulled the refolded envelope out and looked up at him.</p>
<p>"Could I borrow your phone?" I asked. He rolled his eyes and handed it to me. I would have asked Lissa, but I knew for a fact that she didn't have international calling. Dimitri, on the other hand, called home to Russia almost every week. I looked at the number on the post-it and typed it in but frowned when I got an error message. Dimitri chuckled and plucked the phone from my fingers and the note before typing in the number again. He lifted it to his ear before handing it to me and I smiled at him, blowing him a kiss as I listened to the electronic tones.</p>
<p>Dimitri leaned down and planted a kiss on my cheek while I waited, and when I went to say something to him, my mom's voice picked up on the other line.</p>
<p>"Hathaway."</p>
<p>"Mom? It's Rose."</p>
<p>I heard her moving and the sound of a door closing before she responded. "Rosemarie, how are you calling me?" she asked. I rolled my eyes at the use of my first name. I wished she would stop using it.</p>
<p>"Alberta gave me the number and Dimitri let me use his phone. I got the letter. Alberta gave it to me last night."</p>
<p>"Oh, good. I was hoping to be there when you got it, but I had to come back to Nepal. Did you read it?"</p>
<p>I ran my fingers over the envelope with a small smile. "Yeah, I did. I looked at all the photos too. Why didn't you tell me?"</p>
<p>"Oh, Rosemarie. I didn't know how to tell you, let alone think you would believe me."</p>
<p>I hoisted myself up on the desk next to where Dimitri was standing and crossed my legs. "I found out that not only was I wanted, but that my father knew who I was and I'm not a complete freak. Why wouldn't I believe you?"</p>
<p>I heard Dimitri's intake of breath and looked up to see his stunned face. Clearly, this information was in my file, so my father was just as much of a shock to him too. I gave him a small smirk while I listened to my mom breathe.</p>
<p>"Do you know if he is still alive?" I asked quietly, kicking my feet back and forth in the space beneath the desk. A part of me was dying to know if he was still around, but I knew there may have been a chance that he wasn't because he was Moroi.</p>
<p>"The last time I heard from him, he was doing well. That was a few weeks ago and he was in Russia," Mom said softly and I could hear fondness in her voice. I could hear a door open on Mom's side of the call and she covered her phone while she spoke before returning to the phone. "I'm sorry, I have to go. I'll text his number to this phone so you can contact him when you're ready."</p>
<p>"Ok. Have a good night," I said. "Mom?"</p>
<p>"Yes?"</p>
<p>"I love you," I said quietly before ending the call. I stared down at the screen as it switched back to the home screen, momentarily jealous of Dimitri for getting the opportunity to grow up with his family. Sure, his father was an abusive asshole and was out of the picture now, but he got to grow up in a warm household after that.</p>
<p>I handed the phone back to Dimitri right as an unknown message came through and it was another phone number. I quickly scribbled it down on the back of the post-it and slipped it into my pocket.</p>
<p>"You ok?" Dimitri asked as he slipped his phone into the pocket of his duster. I nodded and looked down at my feet and thought over every interaction my mom and I had. I couldn't remember the last time I told her that I loved her. We went so long without speaking and for me resenting her, but I knew that she did it to keep me safe. Sure, I didn't know why she never came around, but to a degree I understood.</p>
<p>"My father wrote me a letter when he and my mom left me here," I said as I crossed my arms over my chest. Dimitri rested his hand on my shoulder, giving me the opportunity to stop or continue talking. I uncrossed my arms and pulled the envelope from my bag, handing it to Dimitri. He took it and pulled out the contents, his eyes settling on the photograph on top of the letter.</p>
<p>"This is your father?" he asked, his voice sounding tight. Maybe it was his accent coming out thicker, but I noticed it. I turned and looked at Dimitri with a nod.</p>
<p>"Yeah. The letter explains why they brought me here, and why I can do the things I can do. It wasn't because of being shadow kissed, but because my father is like me. He can move things too. I guess I started to grasp my abilities really early on and it was getting out of control. The further he got from me, the less I could do."</p>
<p>Dimitri flipped through the photos and while he smiled when he came across a photo of me as a toddler, his face pinched up when he came to a photo of just my father.</p>
<p>"What is it?" I asked, pulling the photo from his fingers. His eyes snapped to mine and he shook his head.</p>
<p>"Nothing, just thought he looked familiar. Now you need to get to your next class. There are only so many passes I can write," he said, standing up and offering me his hand. I rolled my eyes and hopped off, packing my things back into my bag.</p>
<p>"There's going to be a molnija ceremony tomorrow. I'm supposed to come and get you and Eddie during third period."</p>
<p>"Oh? Eddie staked a Strigoi?" I asked as I shouldered my bag, turning to face him.</p>
<p>Dimitri knitted his eyebrows together. "Yes. That's what his meeting with Alberta was about. I assumed he told you that," Dimitri replied, holding the door open for me.</p>
<p>I shook my head. "No, he didn't. When did you find out?"</p>
<p>"Right when you came into Alberta's office."</p>
<hr/>
<p>I set my bag down as I headed into the gym for my final class, spotting the person I was looking for immediately. I huffed and stomped over, pulling my fist back and letting it fly into his shoulder.</p>
<p>"Ow! The fuck, Rose?"</p>
<p>"You could have told me you were seeing Alberta because of the attack! I have been panicking for two days!" I hissed, flinging my arms out to the side. Eddie sighed and turned to face me head-on, wiping the sweat from his face.</p>
<p>"You really think I would turn you in?" he asked, putting his hand out to stop the heavy bag from swinging into us.</p>
<p>"Of course I did! Eddie, you practically called me slut and then ignored me for a week. Then I found out that you had a meeting with Alberta," I said, trailing off as I looked down at my feet. I heard Eddie swear under his breath before pulling me into a hug. I grimaced at the sweat that seeped through my shirt but wrapped my arms around him anyways.</p>
<p>"I would <em>never</em> turn you in. Sure, I'm pissed at Belikov, but I would never do something to hurt you. You're my best friend, and I seem to have a short supply lately."</p>
<p>I nodded and rested my head against his shoulder, taking a deep breath of relief. Now the feeling that had been sitting like a rock in my chest had disappeared. I pulled away and groaned, pulling my shirt away from my chest where a wet mark appeared. Eddie laughed and ruffled my hair which I retaliated with a playful punch to his stomach.</p>
<p>"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" I asked quietly, reaching up to brush my fingers over my own molnija marks. Eddie kicked the toe of his shoe against the gym floor and nodded his head. It wasn't often I ever saw vulnerability on his face, but I could see it clearly on his.</p>
<p>"It's not as bad as you think it's going to be. It stings a little, but it doesn't hurt," I whispered. Eddie nodded his head and gave me a tight smile.</p>
<p>"Well, after tomorrow, we'll match," he said. I let out a humourless chuckle and shook my head.</p>
<p>"I'd rather we didn't need a reason to," I said quietly.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I listened to the phone ring as I bit my nail, bouncing my knee slightly. I had to practically bribe the dorm matron to let me use the floor, and to use it without supervision, but succeeded. The next step was going to be asking Lissa to compel them. Yes, it was bad, but I really needed to do this. I stretched my neck and winced at the pull of the tape over the next marks littering my neck.</p><p>"Hello?"</p><p>I froze the moment the voice picked up on the other line, surprised to hear it in English.</p><p>"Is this Ibrahim?" I asked. The person on the other end was silent for a nano second before responding.</p><p>"Who is this?"</p><p>"Um, it's Rose. Rosemarie Hathaway," I said, rubbing my feet together as I leaned back in the chair. I felt awkward and excited at the same time. The line was silent for a few minutes, almost like dead air. I looked down at the phone to make sure the call hadn't dropped when there was a muffled sound.</p><p>"Rosemarie?"</p><p>"Yes?" I answered immediately, sitting up like they could see me.</p><p>"Mr. Mazur is busy at the moment, can he return your call?" the woman asked. Her voice was dispassionate and firm. I frowned slightly.</p><p>"Um, I don't really have a call back number. Would there be a better time to call?"</p><p>"Mr. Mazur is a busy man. He doesn't have time to be waiting around for calls," she said. I rolled my eyes and slumped back into my chair again, tucking my legs up.</p><p>"I'll just call back," I said before hanging up and bringing my hands to my eyes, pressing the heels in. I needed more sleep.</p><hr/><p>"I'm sorry-"</p><p>"No. This is the fifth time I've called in two weeks. I will not be told that he is unavailable again. Just let me talk to him!" I snapped into the phone, flopping back onto the bed in the cabin. Dimitri let out a choked laugh from where he was by the fireplace, and I glared at his back.</p><p>"Mr. Mazur is in a meeting at the moment," the woman said again. I wanted to scream.</p><p>"Then I will wait," I said, rubbing my hand over my face. I would wait, and I would pay Dimitri back for the minutes. Dimitri came and sat down beside me on the bed and ran his hand over my hair.</p><p>"I'm on hold," I said quietly and sat up to lean against him. I really had rubbed off on Dimitri, sneaking me out past curfew to the cabin in order to call my dad. Despite being exhausted, I really needed to get through to him.</p><p>"Ms. Hathaway?" a male voice came across the phone.</p><p>"Yes?"</p><p>"I'm sorry for the delay. I'm going to put you through to Abe," he said before the line went quiet. I sat up straight and took a deep breath, biting my lip to suppress the smirk that was coming across.</p><p>"Abe speaking."</p><p>The smirk I was trying to suppress broke through into a full blown smile. "Abe? It's Rose. Rose Hathaway," I said, reaching down to grip Dimitri's hand tightly.</p><p>"My, I wasn't expecting to hear from you so soon! How are you?" Abe asked and I could hear the enthusiasm in his voice. It was heavily accented and deep, but a part of me recognized it immediately.</p><p>"I've been calling for two weeks but this is the first time I've gotten through to you. And I'm good, really happy to get to talk to you. I got the letter you wrote me," I said excitedly, the words practically tumbling out of my mouth.</p><p>The conversation seemed to come so easily to us, and I laid back down on the bed against Dimitri, looking up to find him with his book. I smirked to myself and rested my head on Dimitri's shoulder. Abe explained to me that he was in Russia for work and he talked about things from my early childhood. I didn't say much but just listened to every word, practically hanging onto them. I didn't want to miss anything.</p><p>"How have you been since the attack?" Abe asked. My surprise must have been clear because he chuckled a little. "Your mother called me after it happened, and she told me what happened during the rescue. That your abilities came out in full force then."</p><p>"Actually, they came out full force right after the Dragomirs died. I just got really good at hiding them unless I get upset," I said with a chuckle. Dimitri nudged me gently and I looked up to see him gesturing to his watch.</p><p>"I'm sorry, I have to cut this short. We have to get going, but I want to call you again soon," I explained, frowning slightly. I could hear Abe shuffling around on the other side of the phone.</p><p>"We?"</p><p>Crap. "Yeah, I borrowed a friend's phone. We're kinda breaking curfew to do this," I explained as I got up and straightened the quilt while Dimitri put out the fireplace.</p><p>"I see. Well, I intend on hearing from you soon, Kiz. Goodnight," he said before hanging up. I smiled and looked at the phone, frowning to see that I took up two hours of Dimitri's time.</p><p>"Sorry Comrade, I'll pay you back for the minutes," I promised, handing him back the phone. He took it back and wrapped his arms around my waist. I stretched up to wrap my arms around his neck, giving him a smile that I only gave him these days.</p><p>"I really do appreciate you sneaking me out. I'm glad I finally got to talk to him," I sighed, scrunching up my nose as Dimitri leaned down to press a kiss to my jaw.</p><p>"I'm glad you got to talk to him too. You had a smile on your face the whole time," he said. I smiled and rested my chest against him, snuggling closer to him. That was the only downside of our height difference. The whole foot between us could be a hindrance when standing.</p><p>I started to pull away but he pulled me back and I laughed. I lifted my head up and pressed my lips against his while sliding my fingers up the back of his neck. Now that I'd experienced what it felt like to have him, I wanted it all the time. I knew that wouldn't happen, but I would bask in the small moments like this and hold onto them.</p><p>I squealed when his arms tightened around me and he pulled me up, my feet dangling about the ground. Dimitri laughed against my lips before kissing me once more and setting me back down.</p><p>"I'm sorry, we really do need to get back, I just haven't been able to kiss you in almost three weeks," he chuckled, running his hands over my waist. I hummed and pressed my lips against his shirt. We really hadn't been able to get a moment alone and I started to miss him. I clung to him for a moment longer before pulling away and putting on my jacket.</p><p>"C'mon, let's get going. I still need to get some sleep. I heard my mentor is going to kick my ass in the morning," I joked as I headed towards the door. Dimitri laughed and swatted me playfully on the butt.</p><p>"You've been slacking, of course, I'm going to kick your butt in the morning."</p><p>I gasped and put my hand to my chest, faking a shocked expression. "I have not been <em>slacking</em>!" I sniffed but started laughing at the end. Dimitri just shook his head at me with a smirk on his face.</p><hr/><p>I pushed back, wrapping my leg around his and flipping us over while I tried to fight him off. In a move I didn't expect, Dimitri flipped me over his hand and I landed with a loud <em>thud</em>. I didn't even have time to blink before his hand went down over my chest.</p><p>"Dead."</p><p>I groaned and sat up, silently kicking myself. I was better than this! I had staked Strigoi and this giant was still kicking my ass!</p><p>"You know, I think I would do better if I wasn't having my ass handed to me every day," I grumbled as I got up, rubbing my face. Dimitri laughed and tossed a water bottle to me before raising his own to his lips.</p><p>"You would do better not to leave your left side open. You keep dropping your shoulder before you punch. You give too much of a tell," he said between sips. I rolled my eyes at him and watched him walk toward his bag.</p><p>This is it! It's my chance! I set my water bottle down on the ground and moved quietly, but quickly towards him. I pounced and he turned around at the last second, both of us crashing to the ground. While Dimitri softened my landing, it still hurt to land on him and I yelped, rolling onto the ground with a whoop. I jumped up and did a little dance, laughing at Dimitri while he just laid on the floor with raised brows.</p><p>"I did it!" I shrieked. Dimitri chuckled as he got to his feet, a peculiar look crossing his face.</p><p>"Yes, Roza. You got me. But I'm going to get you!" he said before lunging towards me and I bolted in the other direction, sprinting across the gym toward the doors that lead to the field. I didn't quite make it before his arms wrapped around my waist and he hoisted me off the ground. I kicked my feet and laughed uncontrollably as Dimitri carried me across the gym in a football hold, his laugh matching mine.</p><p>"Dimitri! Stop!" I squeaked but he only shifted positions and tossed me onto his shoulder like I was a sack of potatoes. He said nothing but swatted me on the ass and I squirmed in his grip. Not cool dude, not cool.</p><p>"Do I want to know?"</p><p>I tried to look around Dimitri's side to find Alberta and my mom standing in the doorway of the gym. Dimitri stopped and set me back down on my feet, giving Alberta a nod. I adjusted my shirt and gave Mom a tentative smile to which she returned and stepped forward hesitantly. I met her halfway and wrapped my arms around her waist, tilting my head down to rest on her shoulder. Mom slowly wrapped her arms around me and gave me a small squeeze before pulling away. It was a start.</p><p>"We need both of you to come to my office. There are some things we need to discuss," Alberta said, handing me my bag. I knitted my eyebrows together but Mom cut me off as I started to speak.</p><p>"It's nothing bad. We just figured since Dimitri is aware of what you can do, it would be beneficial that he be there."</p><p>I nodded and tilted my head for Dimitri to follow us. I pulled my hair out of the lopsided ponytail as we walked and sighed as I ran my fingers through it. Nothing was worse than a ponytail headache and I was on the cusp of one. Alberta and Mom talked as they walked while Dimitri and I hung behind, putting enough distance between us so we could talk.</p><p>"Do you think I should tell Lissa about this? The abilities, I mean?"</p><p>Dimitri seemed to ponder the thought before shrugging. "I honestly don't know. You may be better off waiting until you talk to your father again, after he gives you more information on what we are dealing with. You know Lissa, she's going to want more than the basics," he explained. I nodded along with what he said.</p><p>He wasn't wrong. Lissa was like a pitbull when she wanted something, and I knew she would hound me about it. To be honest, I was surprised she never said anything about it before.</p><p>Alberta opened the door and gestured all of us into the office but I stopped short when I saw that there was already someone waiting for us, causing Dimitri to bump into me. I knew who it was instantly. He looked the same as he did in the pictures. He was dressed as erratically as he was in the pictures. Flashy shirts, a scarf that looked to be as expensive as Lissa's new designer clothes, a gold hoop in his ear, a fedora on top of his dark curls. He even had a few gold and jewel rings on his fingers. He looked like a cross between a used car salesman, a mobster and a pirate.</p><p>Abe stood up and smiled at Mom before turning his attention to me, looking awkward but excited. I looked from Mom and then back to him and let a small smile grace my lips. This was it.</p><p>"Rosemarie, it's good to finally see you," Abe said cheerfully. I gave him a smile and stepped into the room, not really sure what to do now. I looked from Mom to Abe and then to Alberta and licked my lips while taking a deep breath. I felt awkward and excited at the same time.</p><p>Dimitri came out from beside me and took his position against the wall, but Alberta gave him a pointed look and pointed to one of the chairs. Dimitri sat down and I moved to sit in the chair next to him which was also next to Abe. I tugged my hair out of my ponytail and shook it out, working my fingers against my roots to work out the tenderness.</p><p>I could feel a pair of eyes on me and I looked to my left to find Abe's gaze on me. It was heavy and intense. Now that I looked at him in person, it was like looking in a reflection. His skin was darker than mine but his hair, nose, mouth and cheekbones were the same as mine.</p><p>"I'm sorry for staring. You look so much like my sister Aergul. I also haven't seen what you look like since you were a child," he said with a small chuckle, but he looked slightly uncomfortable. Maybe he was nervous? He wouldn't be the only one?</p><p>"Anyways, we are here to discuss you and your abilities. Now, have you attempted to harness it?" Abe continued, clapping his hands together.</p><p>"Yeah. When Lissa and I were on the run, I practiced a lot when she was asleep and a little since we got back. I moved a parked car, a couple textbooks, a stake, a squat rack and I managed to make Dimitri stumble back a few feet," I explained, folding my hands in my lap.</p><p>"Don't forget when that Strigoi attacked me. You knocked your mother, Alto and three other Guardians away from you," Dimitri added. I nodded and ran my tongue over my teeth and looked at Abe. He seemed to be thinking it all over.</p><p>"So the biggest thing you've been able to move is a vehicle," Abe mused, pulling a piece of plank paper off of Alberta's desk. "May I"? he asked, pointing to the pen laying there. Alberta nodded and Abe picked it up and started writing things down. I rubbed my feet together as he wrote and I looked over at Mom. She had a somewhat distant look on her face.</p><p>"Mom?" I asked. She snapped out of her daze and cleared her throat.</p><p>"I'm sorry. I'm a little overwhelmed. It's been a very long time since I've thought about you being able to move things. When you were two you managed to send an entire dining table set across the room," she explained and rubbed her palms over her dress pants. I frowned and looked down at my fingers. I was that out of control?</p><p>"How in control are you?" Abe asked, pausing in his task. I shrugged, not sure how to answer exactly.</p><p>"Right now? I have control over it but when I get upset, mad or anxious it gets hard to control. Things don't necessarily move around but they shake. That's how Dimitri found out. I was freaking out in the store room and he walked in," I said quietly, biting down on my lip. This whole conversation made me uncomfortable. I went so long without talking about it that now talking about it with anyone, bar Dimitri, made me on edge. I shouldn't have been on edge talking to Abe about it, but I was.</p><p>"Do you experience surges after using large quantities?"</p><p>I frowned. "I don't understand what you mean?"</p><p>Abe adjusted himself in the chair to look at me and gave me a soft smile. "Because you are young, it is common to experience surges of emotion, or even mania after using your powers too much. For example, even now if I use too much, my hands shake and I become irritable. It's almost like being burnt out in a sense," Abe explained. I looked carefully at his hands to find that he did in fact have a slight tremor to his hands. Abe caught my staring and laughed it off.</p><p>"This is from too much coffee my dear," he joked and set the paper down on the table. "This is overwhelming for you, isn't it," Abe said a moment later as he crossed a leg over the other. I shrugged and looked over to Mom who simply raised a brow at me. I could get away with lying about being overwhelmed to Mom, but not to Alberta and Dimitri. Alberta had known me my whole life, even taught me at one point. Dimitri on the other hand, knew me almost as well as he knew himself.</p><p>But I used my own wit and sarcasm as a deflection. "Yeah Comrade, I think you might be overwhelmed with all this new found knowledge," I joked and gently elbowed his arm. While my attempt at a joke was weak, he dropped his mask and gave me a hint of a smile.</p><p>"Very funny Rose."</p><p>Abe chuckled and leaned back in his chair, tenting his fingers together. "If anyone could get this one to not be serious, it had to be our Rose."</p><p>"What do you mean?" I asked, sitting up in my chair. Abe's eyes flicked over my shoulder to Dimitri before he looked back at me.</p><p>"Oh, I've known Belikov and his family for a long time. I'll have you know that they are doing very well. I saw your sister Sonja just before leaving Baia," Abe explained before directing the last statement to Dimitri. I turned and looked at Dimitri with raised brows. So he did know who Abe was when he saw the photograph.</p><p>Dimitri returned the look firmly. <em>We'll talk about this later</em>, was what it said.</p><p>"Do they always act like this? Like they have a secret language?" Abe piped up.</p><p>Alberta snorted a laugh, "Always. Even when she was calling Belikov cheap foreign labour."</p><p>I groaned and let my head come to rest in my hands. I had forgotten all about that. And I didn't know what reaction was worse; my mom scolding me for that, Abe snickering or the outright laugh that came from Dimitri.</p><p>"Moving on," I groaned and slumped back into my chair. "And I'm not sure. Any time I've experienced mania was after Lissa was using so much Spirit. It took Dimitri hours to get me back to my senses after, not to mention I assaulted a Moroi during the time."</p><p>"Hmmm. I'm not sure exactly what this darkness is, but you'll need to be careful about how it affects you.."</p><p>"She doesn't really get a choice in how the darkness affects her. It seeps into her through the bond. The more the Princess uses Spirit the worse it gets, but if the Princess doesn't use enough of it, it still gets bad," Dimitri cut in as I opened my mouth to explain that I couldn't control the darkness. While I appreciated him for doing it, it caused some raised brows from the others in the room.</p><p>I decided to swoop in. "Dimitri is the only person I've confided the effects of Spirit to, and one of the only people here I can talk to freely about things. Lissa may be my best friend, but she's still Moroi. Some of it she wouldn't understand."</p><p>Abe gave an odd look as he scratched his chin before looking down at his watch. "Damn, we've spent more time here than anticipated. You, young lady, need to get to class," Abe said, pointing at me, "and the rest of us have some things we need to discuss. How about we catch up for dinner tonight; me, you and your mother?"</p><p>I stood up and grabbed my bag, praying that I'd have enough time to change before going to my first class. I looked over to Mom, wanting to see what her reaction to the proposal but she had a small smile on her face. It wasn't common to see so I nodded and turned back to Abe.</p><p>"Sure. I'd love that," I said, giving him a smirk. Abe smiled and stood up and crossed the small space between us. He didn't hug me, but he came to a stop just before me and placed his hand on my cheek, stroking it with his thumb just under my eyes along my cheekbone. It was small but it made both of us smile.</p><p>It was a start.</p><hr/><p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I fluffed my hair and pursed my lips while looking at my reflection. I turned my head side to side before pulling a few pieces from the front up and looked at my reflection again. Damn hair! It doesn't want to do anything! I huffed and looked at my door when a knock vibrated through the room.</p><p>"It's open!" I called before returning my attention back to the task. Dimitri poked his head in and quickly stepped into the room. He gave me a smile before going to sit on the edge of my bed, raising his brows at the array of clothes strewn across the floor. I fiddled with my hair a bit before cursing under my breath and pulling it up in a messy bun.</p><p>Dimitri stood up and came to stand behind me, his hands coming up to untie the bun. I scowled at him in the mirror but he winked at me and moved his fingers through my hair, twisting it and turning it before securing it with pins at the base of my head.</p><p>"What did you do?" I asked, turning my head to try and see the back of it. Dimitri ducked his head down and kissed the side of my neck chastely. Well, as chastely as a kiss there could be.</p><p>"A twist bun. It's nicer on your hair and your hair is thick enough that it holds nicely," he explained as he sat back down on my bed, a smirk on his lips. I smiled and turned to face him, spreading my arms out for him to assess my outfit. "Thank you. Does this look ok?"</p><p>Dimitri laughed, "You look beautiful."</p><p>I nodded and smoothed my hands over my shirt. I didn't have a lot of nice clothes, but I figured a moss green sweater dress and leggings would be ok. It was comfortable and pretty. I took a step forward and leaned down to rest my forehead against his head.</p><p>"What are you up to tonight?" I asked as Dimitri's hands came to rest on my hips, pulling me closer to him. I chuckled and spread my legs enough to set myself in his lap, linking my hands behind his neck. I breathed deeply and sighed as the smell of him filled my senses, the overwhelming smell of him, his body wash and cologne tickling my senses.</p><p>"Not a whole lot, maybe catch up on some reports. Maybe do a little reading. Are you excited for your family dinner?" he asked, reaching up to stroke my cheek tenderly. I smirked and leaned into him further.</p><p>"I'm more nervous than excited. What if I'm not what he thought I was going to be like?" Dimitri shook his head and pecked my lips. It was small and sweet but it immediately made me feel better.</p><p>"Rose. He's your father. I think he wants to get to know <em>you</em>, not the idea he has of you," Dimitri stated. I nodded my head and sucked my lip between my teeth, which made him laugh and run his thumb over it to pull it free of its cruel confines. I gave him a smile and pushed against him, making him lean backwards onto the mattress. I shifted around and snuggled into his chest with a happy sigh. I needed this more than I cared to admit.</p><p>"How did you know how to put my hair in a bun?"</p><p>Dimitri laughed and ran his hand over my back. "I have sisters, remember? When I was little they liked to use me as a guinea pig for learning how to do different hairstyles. I've always had long hair," he said. I could hear the fondness in his voice as he spoke, and I looked up to see a faint smile on his face. I knew that he missed his family and I loved it when he talked about them, especially when he talked about his mother.</p><p>He was such a Mama's boy, but it was endearing.</p><p>I rested my face in the crook of his neck and sighed while his hands rubbed circles against my body. I could count on one hand how many times we'd been able to be alone since the cabin and I wanted to bask in every moment we had. I pressed my lips against his skin and smirked when he tensed up, a clear sign that he was repressing a shiver. I snickered before squealing when his hands came to rest on my waist, rolling me onto my back as he hovered over me.</p><p>"You want to play that game?" he asked, bracing himself on either side of my head. I shrugged and wagged my brows at him with a coy look. He shook his head and dipped down to claim my lips with his, moving them firmly and slowly as one hand came down to rest on my waist.</p><p>I reached up and pulled him down so that he rested against me and wound one of my legs around his, holding him to me. He chuckled at my eagerness but complied and let his weight rest against me. I wound my fingers into his hair and let my fingers run across his scalp as I sucked his lip into my mouth. The moan that worked its way out of my lungs spurred him on and he gently rocked his hips against mine, resulting in a gasp escaping too.</p><p>I'd had his weight on me so many times during training, but here in the privacy of my room, it was different. It was heavier and hotter and made me feel at peace amongst other things. Our caresses became bolder as his hand worked its way from my waist to my breast and my hands moved down from his hair to his neck and back, my fingers digging in.</p><p>I pushed up and flipped us over, almost knocking us onto the floor before Dimitri stuck his arm out to catch us with the wall. We both laughed a little before returning to our previous activities and I shifted to place my knees on either side of him as his hands came to rest on my hips. I pulled away and gave him a coy smirk before letting my lips wander to his neck. I revelled in the groan-like sigh that he made when I sucked a little on the skin and my hands slid up his chest, gathering the fabric of his shirt.</p><p>It seemed now that there was no point putting my hair up because it all came undone the minute his hands found purchase in it, the pins falling out onto the bed. I pulled my lips away and captured his again as I rocked my hips, my thighs clenching as I felt the bulge in his pants become larger. Dimitri sat up and wrapped an arm around my waist. He pulled me closer as his mouth fought for dominance over mine. I pulled away to breathe when his lips moved to my neck and I moaned quietly when he nipped at my skin. I was seriously tempted to stay right there for the rest of the night, wrapped in his arms. I trailed my hands to the bottom of his shirt and started to pull it up, but Dimitri stilled and pulled away.</p><p>"Roza."</p><p>"Too far?" I asked, biting my lip. He closed his eyes and nodded slightly while licking his lip, his breath unsteady. That wasn't helping with the thoughts going through my head. He opened his eyes and the dark brown was almost unnoticeable against the black and I leaned in to brush my lips against his again. He responded in kind and pecked my lips once more before pulling back again.</p><p>"I have to go soon," I said softly as my eyes wandered to the clock. Shit! I jumped off of him and ran to the mirror on my wall to make sure my makeup wasn't too messed up before smoothing my hair down. There was not enough time to put it back up in that bun.</p><p>"I'm late. Like, super late. My mom is going to strangle me," I exclaimed as I turned back and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Lock up for me?" I asked as I shoved my arms through my coat.</p><p>Dimitri chuckled as he got off the bed and straightened the blanket. "Sure, have fun tonight," he said with a soft smile. I looked up at him as I zipped my coat and pulled on my boots. Dimitri reached out and tucked a curl behind my ear and let his finger caress my cheek.</p><p>"I know you'll be with your mom and your father's Guardian but be careful please."</p><p>I nodded and stretched up on my toes to give him one final kiss. "I will, I promise."</p><hr/><p>If I was ever curious about where I got my rebellious streak from or my mischievous personality, it was clear as day now. I was almost a carbon copy of Abe, and to my surprise, my sense of humour came from my mother. I found it hard to believe but when Mom retorted at Abe with a quip that I would be proud of, I just about spit out my pop.</p><p>The dinner with my parents was a lot more pleasant than I thought it would be and we left all talk about my abilities off the table. This was a bonding experience and I enjoyed every moment of it. It was nice to see the kinder side of my mom and I could see just how much my parents loved each other as they looked at each other across the table. I sat next to Abe in the booth and was surprised when he insisted on sitting on the outer seat. I had protested but one look from him shut me up.</p><p>"I will be right back," Mom said as she set her napkin down on the table and slid out, heading towards the washroom.</p><p>I watched Mom weave between people when Abe's voice startled me. Not just because he broke the comfortable silence but because of the nature of his question.</p><p>"So, you want to tell your old man why you were <em>really</em> late?"</p><p>I turned to him and cleared my throat. "What do you mean?" I asked nonchalantly. Abe raised his brows before his eyes dipped down to my neck. I furrowed my brows and reached up out of curiosity only to remember the nips Dimitri had made there. I didn't feel any bumps but that didn't mean anything. With his Moroi eyesight, who knew what exactly he could see?</p><p>I opened my mouth to make an excuse but he quickly put his hand up. "As your father, I don't want to know specifics, but please tell me that was not made by a Moroi. I really don't want to put the fear of God into some kid for taking advantage of you."</p><p>A laugh bubbled up in my throat as I shook my head. "No, no. Definitely not!" He let out a small sigh of relief before nodding his head. "So...a boyfriend? Girlfriend?"</p><p>I sighed lightly and played with the napkin in my lap. "I don't really know what to call it. It's new, so I'd really appreciate it if you didn't say anything to Mom. If that's not too much to ask? I know we just met," I said, biting my lip while avoiding his eyes. This was really not a conversation I wanted to be having.</p><p>"My lips are sealed," he said as he picked up his glass. I smiled at him in appreciation before smoothing my napkin out again. I could feel his gaze on me intently and I looked back at him.</p><p>"Belikov is your mentor, yes?" Abe asked as he set his glass down. I pressed my lips into a thin line and nodded my head.</p><p>"Yeah. He volunteered to mentor me when he brought me and Lissa back to St. Vlad's. It was that or they shipped me off to commune," I said, eyeballing his leftover dessert. Abe nodded his head slowly before his eyes followed my gaze. He smiled widely before pushing it towards me. I said a quiet thank you and dug into it. I had never had tiramisu before but it was delicious.</p><p>"I met him a very long time ago, but you didn't know that," he said as I looked up at him. "I noticed that. You gave him a look. Want to explain that?"</p><p>I shrugged and played with the fork. "When I called Mom to tell her I read your letter, Dimitri was there. I called from his phone. He was looking at the picture of you and I and seemed a little tense about it. By the way, your assistant is a real bitch," I said.</p><p>Abe raised his brows at me and laughed boomingly. The people at the tables beside us turned to look but Abe paid no attention to them. I was the main focus of his attention.</p><p>"How so?"</p><p>"I called five times before I actually spoke to you. Every time I called, she said that you were busy or not available. As soon as I said my name she would go into a speech about how you were a busy man and couldn't be bothered by little girls. The last time I called, I snapped at her."</p><p>Abe frowned and rested his arm along the back of the booth. "I explicitly said that if anyone called by the name of Hathaway that I was to be interrupted, regardless of what it was. I wish I had known. She never mentioned you called either."</p><p>I shrugged and polished off the last of the dessert as Mom made her way back to the table. I snickered as Abe's head snapped up and he smiled at her as she sat down.</p><p>"How are you going to pay Guardian Belikov for the phone call to me in Nepal?" Mom asked as she folded her arms on the tabletop. I shook my head and rested it against the back of the booth.</p><p>"I have no idea," I laughed. "I have a lot of minutes to pay for. I called Abe a few times too from his phone. And the time I actually spoke to him too."</p><p>I heard Abe hum beside me but didn't say anything. "I can pay him back for you. I appreciate that he let you call me from his phone." I shook my hand and waved him off. He didn't need to do that, and I said such to him but he just rolled his eyes at me.</p><p>Mom chuckled at us and nodded to Abe's Guardian, Pavel, and indicated that the two were going to do the sweep before we left. I sat with Abe while they did it, but he just looked at me with raised brows.</p><p>"Belikov is the friend that snuck you out after curfew to call me."</p><p>Oh, man. I really walked into that one.</p><p>"Umm," was all that I could get out of my mouth. Abe snickered and slid out of the booth when Mom came back in. Abe put his hand on my back and led me out of the restaurant. I looked around like Mom and Pavel, taking in my surroundings despite the sun being high in the sky.</p><p>"Why were you so insistent that I sit inside the booth?" I asked.</p><p>Abe stopped and turned me to face him. "It doesn't matter if you're a Dhampir or if I'm a Moroi. You are my child, first and foremost. Nothing comes before that. If I have to put myself between you and death, I will. Because that's what fathers do. We protect our children at all costs," he said, leaning down to kiss my forehead.</p><p>It wasn't what I was expecting him to say but the statement in itself was heartwarming. I stepped closer and wrapped my arms around his waist, startling him for a moment before he wrapped his arms around me too, resting his chin on my head. I turned my head and rested my cheek against his chest and sighed happily. It felt nice to be hugged by him.</p><p>I pulled back and smiled up at him and he returned the smile before looking over my head and pulling me roughly to the side. I stumbled as I tried to right myself as a car flew by us much faster than necessary in a parking lot. We weren't standing in the middle of the driving lane but the car came pretty close to us.</p><p>"Idiots," I grumbled as Abe squeezed my shoulders. I gestured that I was fine but my head snapped around at the bang of a car door and a shout.</p><p>"Hey! Go feel up your whore somewhere else!" a guy yelled from the car that nearly ran us down. He was medium height with a beer belly and a greasy looking cap on his head. I felt Abe bristle beside me at the insult and I watched Mom jog towards us, her facial expression concerned but firm.</p><p>"Abe, Rosemarie? Are you alright?" she asked as she came closer. I nodded and pulled on Abe's arm, but the look on his face was murderous. The guy was still walking towards us and I could see the muscles in Abe's jaw tensing and his nose flaring as he breathed.</p><p>I watched as the guy got closer when I tugged on Abe's hand, "Dad? Just leave it. He isn't worth the time."</p><p>Abe's head snapped around to look at me and I could see the name calm him a little. He nodded his head and put his hand on my shoulder before wrapping his other arm around Mom and stirred us towards the car.</p><p>I could hear him grumbling in his seat, muttering away about the asshat in the parking lot.</p><p>"Where does he get off saying something like that? You're a kid," Abe muttered. I scoffed and shook my head.</p><p>"One, I take offence to that. I'm an adult. And two, you may not have noticed but I don't exactly look eighteen. I'm pissed that he said it but you can't let it get to you. There are some pretty disgusting people in the world," I said, putting my head on his shoulder. Abe didn't say anything but he lifted my hand and brought it to his lips before squeezing it.</p><p>"Regardless, nobody gets to insult my little girl. No matter how old you get."</p><hr/><p>"Long night, little dhampir?"</p><p>I nodded mid-yawn as I picked up my fried egg sandwich. I barely got sleep last night and I had to be up early for training. I really wished I could have slept in today, but with trials fast approaching, I needed the extra time.</p><p>"What kept you busy?"</p><p>"My dad."</p><p>The looks on the faces before me were comical, aside from Lissa's who knew I was out with Abe. I just hadn't called him my dad yet. I chewed slowly as I nodded at my friends, quietly chuckling at them. Lissa had gracefully let me start eating before starting with the questions about my dinner with Abe, and who he was in general. I ignored the questions until I finished eating, much to Christian's aggravation.</p><p>"Ok," I said, wiping my face with the napkin, "now you may ask your questions."</p><p>"Who is he?"</p><p>"When did you find out?"</p><p>"Is he royal?"</p><p>"What is he like?"</p><p>My eyes widened at the onslaught of inquiries but took it in. "His name is Abe, and no he is not royal. We didn't really talk about what he does but he seems to be an influential guy. I found out about him a few weeks ago because he wrote a letter for me to read when I turned eighteen."</p><p>"Ok, but what is he like?" Lissa pushed on as she played with her yogurt. I met Lissa's eye and she gave me a small smile, encouraging me to go on.</p><p>"He's really nice. Actually, I'm a lot like him, personality-wise. He has a wicked sense of humour and he's protective. He broke Moroi protocols and made me sit on the inside of the booth and said that he would always put himself between me and something that could hurt me. No offence, but how often do you hear Moroi fathers claim and protect their Dhampir children?"</p><p>Adrian seemed to be nodding along but I couldn't be sure if he was actually listening to what was being said or if he was just making the motion. Christian appeared to be surprised but had a look in his eye that I couldn't quite put my finger on. Eddie had an understanding look on his face. Every Dhampir dreamed of finding out about their Moroi parent, most of the time them being our fathers, and I could see Eddie thinking about it himself. Eddie knew both his parents. His father died young in a car accident when he was younger and his mom lived in a small town about an hour away from the academy.</p><p>"What's his last name?" Adrian asked as he twirled an unlit cigarette between his fingers. I rolled my eyes at him but obliged.</p><p>"Mazur."</p><p>Christian and Adrian's eyes both widened, Christian letting out a small laugh. "Well, if we ever wondered why you had such a mean streak, now we know why."</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>My head thumped against the textbook in front of me and I let out a small groan. This exam prep was killing me. I ended up hiding from the Spanish inquisition in the library of all places. The one place nobody would ever think of looking for me. I lifted my head and flipped through the textbook before stopping and looking around.</p><p>If I was the only one in the library, why not practice a little bit?</p><p>I shifted my body so that my back was to the opening in the bookshelves, shielding the textbook and putting my hand up as if I was turning the page with my hand. I took a deep breath and relaxed as I let my eyes wander right to left, the page moving slowly and smoothly through the air. It felt so freeing to do that, to use my abilities. This must be what Lissa felt when she used Spirit after not using it for so long.</p><p>I stopped moving my eyes from side to side and simply looked at the book and the pages ruffled in succession. It was thrilling to see it happen and a smirk crossed my lips, the movement ruffling my loose hair across my face. The breeze moving my hair wasn't the only thing I noticed and I stopped moving the pages altogether, turning in my seat to find a tall Russian standing just over my shoulder.</p><p>"I like watching you do that," he said as he sat down across from me. I blushed a little and flicked my eyes from the book to him, and I mentally nudged the book. It slid across the table so fast that it would've shot off the top if Dimitri hadn't put his hand up. He chuckled a little and pushed it back onto the table.</p><p>"What possessed you to study for Bodyguard Theory?" he laughed and I rolled my eyes. I was surprised with myself too, but it was the only textbook I had with me and I needed to look like I was doing something.</p><p>"Not much, to be honest," I snorted while walking my fingers over the cover. "I'm actually hiding from my friends."</p><p>Dimitri knitted his brows at me and crossed his arms, resting them on the table as he leaned towards me. "Why?"</p><p>"Way too many questions about my dad."</p><p>A small smile crosses his gorgeous face. "So you're calling him 'Dad' now?"</p><p>I shrugged because I wasn't sure if I really was. It was easier than saying Abe and then explaining who he was when I talked about him, but I wasn't sure if I was ready for that yet. At the same time, I was ready to openly embrace him as my dad.</p><p>"You know, he really doesn't act like a Moroi," I said to Dimitri, unfolding my leg from under me and stretching it out under the table, my foot just brushing his. Dimitri straightened his leg out and let his boot rest against my shoe, the closest we could touch in public.</p><p>"How so?"</p><p>I mimicked Dimitri and leaned my folded arms on the textbook and put my chin on my arms. "He didn't listen to protocols. Told me that being my father came before our races and that he would always put himself between me and harm. Strigoi included."</p><p>Dimitri canted his head, "That doesn't surprise me. He employs lots of Guardians, but he only replies on one. He isn't the cowering type."</p><p>I bit my lip and nodded against my arms. "I gathered that," I chuckled. I smirked at him and sighed before sitting upright abruptly.</p><p>"We need to be careful. Especially around him. He was staring at my neck last night and then begged me to tell him that my mark he could see wasn't from a Moroi."</p><p>Dimitri groaned and shook his head. "Great. If anyone could catch us, it'd be your father."</p><p>I played with the textbook again before pulling my foot up to rest on the seat. Completely unladylike considering we had to wear uniforms today and apparently pants for the female Novices was a foreign idea. But there was no one in here besides me and Dimitri and I pulled my skirt around to keep me covered.</p><p>"Can we do more of this?" I pointed to the textbook. "In our training sessions?"</p><p>"Theory?"</p><p>"No! Practicing the other stuff," I said with a scowl. Dimitri snickered at me while nodding his head, looking up and straightening his posture. I turned and saw Eddie coming towards us, curiosity clear on his face as his eyes flicked between me and Dimitri. I put my foot back down on the floor and gave Eddie a smirk.</p><p>"Hey, what's up?"</p><p>Eddie plopped down beside me and rolled his eyes. "You left me alone with Christian and Lissa. It turned into a face-sucking session that I <em>did not</em> want to witness."</p><p>I rolled my eyes and laughed. Oh buddy, you just experienced what I have to deal with every time I went to sleep. I made eye contact with Dimitri and I could see amusement in his eyes before he stood up.</p><p>"I'm going back onto my shift; I'll see you in training Rose. Eddie," Dimitri said, standing up and nodding to Eddie as he headed out. I pursed my lips and went back to toying with the textbook in front of me. I could feel Eddie fidget next to me.</p><p>"What?" I asked.</p><p>"Nothing, just on edge with trials coming up. Do you think I could ask Belikov if he would do a few one-on-ones with me?" Eddie asked slowly, twirling his thumbs together. I scoffed and turned to look at him, eyebrows raised.</p><p>"Why didn't you just ask him when he was here?"</p><p>Eddie flushed and stammered a little bit. "Well, I wasn't sure if he was pissed at me or not. I know you told him what I said," he explained.</p><p>"Sure he didn't like the fact that you implied I was a slut, but he isn't mad at you. If you want him to work with you just ask him."</p><p>Eddie looked at me with pleading eyes for a moment.</p><p>"Ohhh. I see, you want <em>me</em> to ask him because he's less likely to say no to me. Is that it?"</p><p>"Please Rose?"</p><p>I sighed dramatically and leaned back in my chair, flicking my hair over my shoulder. "Alright, but it's going to cost you, Edison," I teased. He looked concerned but nodded his head in agreeance before sticking his hand out for me to shake. I chuckled and shook his hand before collecting my stuff.</p><p>"C'mon. We got class to get to."</p><hr/><p>Dimitri knew something was up when he got to the gym and I was already there. Maybe it was because I was twenty minutes early or because of the look on my face, but he knew I wanted something.</p><p>"Rose?"</p><p>I hopped off the bleacher and stalked towards him, not intimidatingly but with a sway in my step. I wasn't wearing anything inappropriate, but I knew that he liked the colour green against my tanned skin and when I wore my workout leggings.</p><p>"I have a favour to ask," I said with a slight purr coming to a stop in front of him, let a hand brush against his forearm. His eyes followed my fingers as they travelled up his arm. I was shaking slightly in laughter at the perplexed expression on his face.</p><p>"Roza, we cannot do this here," Dimitri said quietly but I reached up on my toes and leaned into him. His intake of breath was barely noticeable, but I heard it. I bit on my lip coyly as I pressed a featherlight kiss on his jaw, his hands gripping my arms tightly.</p><p>I let my laugh explode as I took in his facial expression, a mix of lust and aggravation.</p><p>"Don't worry Comrade. I set the lock to latch after you came in," I laughed as I removed my hands from him. "Honestly though, I do have a favour to ask."</p><p>Dimitri raised a brow at me with a wary look on his face. "What?"</p><p>"Eddie wanted to know if he could get some one-on-one time with you? He's nervous about trials," I explained with a small frown.</p><p>"All that to ask if I would work with Eddie? Seriously Roza?" Dimitri exclaimed.</p><p>I shrugged, "Hey, I got to get my jollies when I can. Besides, you can't say you didn't like it."</p><p>Dimitri shook his head and dipped it down next to my ear. "One of these days you're going to get yourself into a hard spot."</p><p>I kept my eyes on the door as I reached my hand down and cupped him, grinning evilly. "I think it's you who will be in a <em>hard spot</em>."</p><p>I stepped away when I heard the door rattle and the lock disengaged, flicking my eyes up to Dimitri who was flushed. I turned back to the door to see Abe - Dad - step into the gym.</p><p>"Ah, there you are! I was hoping to see you before I left. I was wanting to do a little work with you. Do you mind Belikov?"</p><p>Dimitri shook his hand as he stuck his hands into his pockets, nodding his head.</p><p>"You're more than welcome to stay, Belikov. It may be beneficial. If you two are going to be Guardians to the Dragomir Princess, you need to know this too," Dad said as he shrugged off his jacket and set it on the bench. Dimitri moved to the side and sat on the bench to watch us.</p><p>Dad started explaining how to do mental warm-ups, expanding my thoughts and reaching out with my mind. It felt good. It was similar to the way that I would feel around in Lissa's head but without actually going into hers. It was like I was opening myself up to all of my surroundings.</p><p>Dad seemed impressed with my reach after having it suppressed for so many years. I was confused but he explained that he could feel me reaching out, and that when I was younger it would feel like a tsunami pulling back from the shore when I was working up to something.</p><p>"My declared element is Earth magic. I want you to try and block me from moving those," Dad explained, pointing to the heavy bag. I watched it split open and the sand poured out of it onto the floor. I looked over to Dimitri who looked less than impressed, to which Dad waved him off.</p><p>"Don't worry about that. I'll replace it."</p><p>Dimitri sighed and gestured for Dad to continue and I watched the sand swirl in the air before moving towards me. I took a deep breath and pictured a shield in front of me. I managed to block some of it but the majority of it came through, pelting my skin.</p><p>"Focus, Rose."</p><p>"I am!" I exclaimed but Dad just sighed. He reeled it all back to him and tried again, giving me a few moments to prepare myself before he went again. I focused even harder and managed to make less of it get through, but it still came through.</p><p>"I want you to pull things from around the room to you, not thinking of anything in particular, but something that you can use in defense."</p><p>I nodded and braced myself again as the sand started to swirl around me and I squeezed my eyes shut. The sand was coarse against my skin and I didn't think about anything but protecting myself. I could feel the pull before I could no longer feel anything against my face and I slowly opened my eyes. I managed to pull one of the mats from the storage room in front of me and I peeked around it to see the door practically off the hinges.</p><p>Abe let go of his element and I dropped the mat to the ground with a sigh. I took a deep breath and wiped the beads of sweat from my face. I felt like I had just run my longest mile. I could do more than this, so why was I so damn tired?</p><p>I felt myself sway on my feet before the world tilted on its axis and I saw Dad moving towards me in slow motion. Arms wrapped around me and caught me as I sank to the floor. My ears rang as two sets of brown eyes appeared above me, both their mouths moving but I couldn't hear anything that came out of their mouths.</p><p><em>Breathe</em>. That was the only word I could make out from Dimitri's lips when I realized that the gasping noise I could make out was me. Abe looked panicked as he kept talking while Dimitri's hand came down on the top of my head, brushing my hair back while his other hand rested on my shoulder. I tried to control my breathing and choked on it but forced myself to breathe.</p><p>I watched Dad's eyes move from me to Dimitri's hands then to his face, which was clear with worry and concern. Something flashed in his eyes as the ringing in my ears stopped and I reached up, putting my hand on his arm.</p><p>"What...happened?"</p><p>Dad wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me into a sitting position. "It's a side effect of being closer to me. You are stable on your own but being near me makes you less stable. It's something we'll need to work on. You burned yourself out," Dad explained softly. I nodded my head but slumped back a little, Dimitri's hands flying to my back to keep me upright.</p><p>"Can we pick this up another time? I'm exhausted," I whispered, giving him a weak smile. Dad nodded and put his hands out to help me stand up before wrapping an arm around my waist.</p><p>"I'll help her back to her room, Belikov. Good night," Dad said curtly as he directed me to the door. I turned my head to look at Dimitri and he gave me a worried look and it made me want to go back to reassure him, but I could barely keep my eyes open.</p><hr/><p>I rolled over and tucked my nose under the blanket, shivering as the cold air hit my overheated skin. Nightmares from Spokane hadn't eased yet and still woke me from a dead sleep. I peeked my eyes open and just about jumped out of my skin seeing a hulking figure sitting next to my desk, but I quickly figured out who it was.</p><p>"Breaking the rules again? You know male students aren't allowed in female dorms after curfew."</p><p>"I guess it's a good thing I'm not a student," Dimitri said quietly as he moved to sit on the edge of my bed. "How are you feeling?"</p><p>I shrugged and snuggled deeper into my blankets while reaching my hand out to grab his.</p><p>"I feel like I got hit with a boulder," I grumbled. Dimitri sighed quietly and brushed my hair back from my face before leaning down and pressing a tender kiss to my head. I tugged on his hand and wiggled back on the small mattress, pleading him to lay down next to me.</p><p>Dimitri toed his shoes off and laid beside me, tucking himself under the blanket and draping his arm over my waist. I rested my head against his chest and sighed contently.</p><p>"He didn't give you a hard time earlier did he?"</p><p>Dimitri sighed and kissed my head again. "No, he was being shifty with me but it's nothing I can't handle. I handle you just fine," he said, squeezing my waist playfully. I poked his stomach because that was all I had the energy for.</p><p>"Do the nightmares go away? Of your first kill, I mean," I whispered into his chest, letting my eyes fall closed. Dimitri sighed and rubbed his hand up my back firmly.</p><p>"No. I wish I could tell you that they do, but they do become less frequent."</p><p>I nodded again and shifted around so that I was flush to him, moving my face into the crook of his neck. "I don't know how long you can stay, but will you hold me until I fall asleep?" I asked as I finally got comfortable. I could feel Dimitri nodding his head as I started to fall back asleep.</p><p>I quickly slipped back into a dream state, but this time it was worse. Instead of standing in front of the Strigoi Isaiah, I was standing in front of a Strigoi Dimitri. Everything else was the same as the day Mason died, but Dimitri was the one standing over me, his eyes crimson as they bore down at me.</p><p>"If you hadn't led him on he wouldn't be dead. This is <em>your fault</em>," Strigoi Dimitri sneered, batting the dull sword from my hands. It clattered to the floor a few feet away from me and I stumbled back, scrambling for another weapon to defend myself but his hand wrapped around my throat.</p><p>"You brought this upon yourself," he said, almost amused. I clawed at his hands but it was useless.</p><p>"Roza."</p><p>"Roza."</p><p>"ROZA!"</p><p>My eyes snapped open and it was like a band snapped. I was laying on the floor near the door, Dimitri on the floor across the room with the bed turned over. I pushed myself up and scrambled to Dimitri, kneeling beside him and cupping his face.</p><p>"Oh, <em>Dimitri</em>," I whimpered at the sight of the gash across his face. It ran from the corner of his eye down to his jaw. I jumped up and grabbed a towel and a bottle of water before returning to him. He had pulled himself up and was leaning against the wall, his hand cupping his face before I pulled his hand away and pressed the towel to his face.</p><p>"I did this," I moaned, mortified with myself. This was what my parents were worried about, me being out of control. I pulled the cloth away to look at the wound, sighing to see that the blood flow had slowed. Dimitri tried to catch my eye, but I refused to meet his as shame and embarrassment flooded through my veins.</p><p>Dimitri put his hand on top of mine and squeezed my wrist gently. "It's ok. You were having a nightmare."</p><p>"I hurt you," I whimpered.</p><p>"It's ok. I'll heal. Sweetheart, it's ok."</p><p>I sniffed and nodded my head, mostly to appease him. But it wasn't ok. I was already lashing out. Dimitri got himself to his feet and pulled the cloth away from his face and checked in the mirror. I stood where I was while wrapping my arms around my stomach, watching Dimitri examine the cut. He turned around and must have seen the look on my face before moving to comfort me, but I shook my head and stepped back.</p><p>"Please don't. I need to calm down first."</p><p>He nodded and moved to the bed, flipping it back up and putting my pillows and blanket back on it. I looked around trying to find what it was that he cut himself on before my eyes fell to the radiator. The radiator that I had complained to maintenance about because part of the mechanism stuck up and I had cut my leg on multiple times.</p><p>Dimitri sat down on the bed and watched me as I paced the small length of my room before catching my hand and pulling me to a stop. I turned and looked at him with brimming tears but he stood up and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me tightly to him.</p><p>"I'm fine Rose. Take a deep breath," he said in my ear. I nodded and wrapped my arms around him before pulling back to look at him.</p><p>"I have a bandage kit in my desk. Sit down," I said before grabbing it and putting a makeshift bandage on the cut. It didn't look good, but it would cover it for now. I cleaned up all the trash and tossed it before looking at him awkwardly. He scooted back along the bed and laid down, laying his arm out beside him for me to join. I shifted on my feet before he narrowed his eyes at me. I climbed onto the bed and laid my head in the crook of his arm.</p><p>"Does it hurt?"</p><p>"No, I feel fine," he said tiredly, squeezing my arm. I didn't believe him but I was so tired that my eyes started to droop shut. I tried to think about everything and anything <em>but</em> Mason, and I decided that I would resort to the one thing I've tried to not think about. The cabin. It would give me different kinds of dreams, but it would be worth it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Love it, hate it, let me know :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>If I thought Dimitri's face looked bad last night, it was worse in the harsh light of day. Or night.</p><p>There was a bruise around it, deep purple and it crept under his eye. The gash had started to heal up, but it was clearly there, and no bandage was going to cover it. I could barely look at him when I woke up and I had a hard time making eye contact with him during training. The whole night made my heart jump into my throat and my stomach tie up in knots.</p><p>I hurt somebody, and it wasn't just anyone; it was him. And I felt sick over it.</p><p>I was so tied up in my own inner turmoil that I didn't notice Mom standing in the back of my class until Eddie stomped on my foot. The fact that I didn't punch Eddie was clear that I was upset, and he kept giving me concerned looks.</p><p>"Did something happen between you and <em>him</em>?" Eddie inquired while we went through different punching techniques, and I shook my head. I barely said a word to him.</p><p>I kept to myself until the end of class and hoped to avoid everyone, but the red-headed Scotswoman caught up to me.</p><p>"You were very distracted today," she implied as we both walked down the hall. Her voice was even and emotionless, something that I both rejoiced and hated. I didn't want to talk about what happened, but I was beating myself up about it and she may have been the only person who I could talk to about it.</p><p>"Did I... Did I ever hurt anyone? Before you placed me in the academy?" I asked quietly, turning to look at her. Mom stopped and frowned before replying.</p><p>"Once. I was the only one who got hurt, but it was either I got hurt or you did. Why would you..." Mom explained before trailing off, her eyes widening when she came to the realization. "Belikov."</p><p>I nodded my head in confirmation while taking a deep breath.</p><p>Mom scoffed and shook her head. "I knew his claim of falling out of bed and hitting the bedside table was a load of shite. What happened?"</p><p>"It was an accident! I swear!" I squeaked but Mom nodded and wrapped her arm around my shoulders, shushing me. Mom squeezed my arm and pulled me towards the vacant classroom and shut the door behind us.</p><p>"What happened Rosemarie?" she asked in a soothing tone, the way a mother would ask a small child. I ran my hands through my hair and dropped my bag onto the floor.</p><p>"Dad and I were doing a lot of practicing yesterday and I fainted, so Dad brought me back to my room and I fell asleep. Dimitri came to check on me because he was worried, and I was in the middle of a nightmare and he..."</p><p>"He tried to wake you up and you lashed out."</p><p>I nodded my head and wrapped my arms around my waist and rubbed my foot over the other. Mom came towards me and sat on the desk, which funny enough put her at the same height as me. I wasn't sure if the blowout happened because he tried to wake me up or if I had done it already and I couldn't wake up. Either way, it still looked bad.</p><p>"It happens to your father too. Lashing out in his sleep, I mean. It usually happens when he's particularly upset or stressed. What was the nightmare about? Spokane?" Mom said as she folded her hands in her lap, looking every bit of the well respected Guardian she is. It didn't feel like I was being lectured but a superior, it just felt like I was having a heart-to-heart with my mom. It was a foreign feeling.</p><p>"Did you ever get hurt?"</p><p>"Once or twice, usually because I got too close. This is something you'll learn to control. Don't forget, you and your father feed off each other. Being together again will make things harder but he's here to help you learn to control it now that you can," she said before reaching out and squeezing my hand.</p><p>I gave her a weak smile and tilted my head onto her shoulder, letting it rest there for a few moments before Mom broke the silence.</p><p>"Alright. You have to go to class."</p><p>I groaned but picked up my bag and went to class.</p><hr/><p>I looked at Lissa as she laid on her bed, flipping through a magazine.</p><p>"Excuse me?"</p><p>Lissa sighed, "I <em>said</em> I want to go prom dress shopping. It's two months away! I didn't think about it when we went out for your birthday!"</p><p>I grumbled and tucked my legs under me in the plush chair. I didn't want to go to prom, there was no point. I didn't have the money to buy a dress and I'll be damned if I let her pay for one. Not to mention, no date. If I showed up without one it would turn heads, but there was only one person I wanted to go with and that would turn even more heads.</p><p>"I don't know Liss."</p><p>Lissa narrowed her eyes at me before turning her eyes back to her magazine. "You know, you could always go with Eddie, and we could find you a really pretty dress!"</p><p>"I don't want to go with Eddie," I sighed. Lissa grumbled under her breath before her inner monologue slipped through the bond. <em>No, why would you when you make eyes at Guardian Belikov.</em></p><p>I made a strangled noise in the back of my throat, alerting her to the fact that I had heard her thoughts.</p><p>"Oh don't deny it, Rose. You're my best friend, I noticed that you have a crush on my Guardian. It's a shame that both of you are slated for me though. You'd be cute together... hell, you two would make a hot couple," Lissa giggled while wagging her brows at me. I groaned and slumped even further into my chair. <em>If only you knew, Liss. If only you knew.</em></p><p>Lissa looked at me again and narrowed her eyes at me again. <em>If you don't say yes, I will ask Headmistress Kirova to let you go as a training exercise and I will pick one out for you. And it will be pink and puffy.</em></p><p>I rolled my eyes but yielded. She would do it too. "<em>Fine!</em> I'll go. But you aren't paying for it. I have some money saved up that I could probably buy something decent."</p><p>Lissa smiled widely and sat up on her bed, crossing her legs and toying with her long hair. It was moments like this where it was easy to forget that she was a Princess, the last of the Dragomir line. She seemed more of a regular teenager, well, as regular as you can be for a vampire.</p><p>"How long have you been crushing on him?"</p><p>"Oh no. I am not getting into this with you. No happening Princess. Change the subject."</p><p>Lissa pouted but changed the subject. Unfortunately, it was to something else I didn't want to talk about.</p><p>"Tasha is coming down in a few weeks. I know that Christian is excited to see her and I'm looking forward to seeing her too. She's so sweet," she enthused, but I was less than impressed.</p><p>Don't get me wrong, she's a great lady and she adores Christian, but she also has feelings for Dimitri. Dimitri may have turned her down but that doesn't mean that her feelings for him are going to fade. He kept me at arm's length and constantly told me no, and now we're here.</p><p>I listened to Lissa talk about Tasha's upcoming visit and prom and graduation, but I couldn't really pay attention to it all. The realization that graduation was fast approaching scared me. I was ready Novice wise, but emotionally I wasn't. I wasn't ready to be on my own, even with being Lissa's Guardian. I was used to be being back here again and I was starting to understand just how dangerous it was for Lissa and I to run off. I wasn't ready back then, but now that I am, I'm scared. Scared of failing, scared of messing up, scared of Lissa getting hurt.</p><p>It doesn't take much for a Strigoi to get to us, and it only takes a second for everything to change</p><p>Lissa snapped her fingers in front of my face, startling me out of my thoughts.</p><p>"Hey, did you hear what I said?"</p><p>"No, sorry Lissa."</p><p>"What's wrong?"</p><p>I shook my head, not wanting to worry her about trivial issues, but she huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.</p><p>"I'm nervous about graduation, that's all. I know that I'm ready training wise but other than that, I'm not sure I'm ready for everything else," I said. Lissa frowned and tented her fingers against her mouth.</p><p>"You know who the best person would be to talk to about these fears to?"</p><p>I rolled my head to look at her and raised my brows at her. "Who? My mom?"</p><p>Lissa chuckled, "Well, yes your mom. But I was going to say your mentor. It's part of the reason why he is there."</p><p>I chuckled and stretched out in my chair. Right. I forgot about that part.</p><p>"Anyway, look through this and tell me which dresses you like! I need an idea to plan out our trip," Lissa said a moment later, tossing the magazine at me. I caught it and threw her a faux scowl, but flipped through it to appease her.</p><p>I was used to seeing Dimitri in action when I sparred with him, but it wasn't often I got to see him spar with someone else. It was something to see.</p><p>Eddie was good considering he was second in his class, but it also hadn't really seen him spar either. I was either sparring with him or someone else. The two looked deadly together as they sparred, Dimitri landing a blow to Eddie's side before Eddie retaliated with a kick to the lower back. I stood against the wall with my arms crossed and watched fists fly.</p><hr/><p>The door opened and Alberta walked in, her eyes scanning the room before landing on me and she walked over. I gave her a nod as she took a position beside me, mimicking my position with a smirk on her lips.</p><p>"It's crazy, isn't it? It's hard to think we can do that until we see someone else do it?" Alberta said nudging my arm. I nodded and kept my eyes trained on the two men sparring. We didn't say much after that, just watched the two as the minutes ticked on. I saw it before it happened, Eddie gave Dimitri an opening and he took it, flipping him over and pressing his fist against Eddie's chest.</p><p>"Dead," Dimitri's voice rang out in the otherwise quiet room. I clapped at a moderate pace making both of their gazes turn towards us.</p><p>"Good job Eddie! You certainly held your own against Goliath," I said with a straight face, but internally I was snickering. Dimitri didn't know that some of the students called him that. Dimitri showed nothing but a quirk of his lip said enough.</p><p>Eddie jumped up from his spot and gave me a cheeky smile before turning and shaking Dimitri's hand, saying something too quiet for me to hear. Eddie waved to me and Alberta before heading to the change room.</p><p>"Belikov, I wanted to make you aware that the Princess wants to go to Missoula this weekend. It's already been cleared with the Headmistress. Rose will be going as well, already approved too," Alberta said before looking at me with a smirk. Oh boy, she knew why we were going and knew I wasn't going on my own free will.</p><p>"Thank you," Dimitri said before Alberta retreated out of the gym. Dimitri turned to me with a raised brow and a smirk.</p><p>"Goliath?"</p><p>I rolled my eyes, "C'mon Comrade, you're 6'7. What else do you expect? You're a giant," I joked, punching his shoulder lightly. Dimitri shook his head and let out a short, humourless laugh before meeting my eyes.</p><p>"Somethings bothering you. Other than this," he said, pointing to his eye.</p><p>I nodded and bit my lip. "Can I ask you a question as my mentor and not my boyfriend?"</p><p>Dimitri's face softened a bit and nodded before sinking down to the mat and crossing his legs.</p><p>"What can I do for you, <em>Novice Hathaway</em>?"</p><p>I stuck my tongue out at him for the novice bit and sat down across from him. "I'm anxious about graduation."</p><p>"What is it that you're anxious about?"</p><p>I sighed and laid back on the mat and looked up at the ceiling.</p><p>"I'm worried I'm not ready. I know that I'm ready training wise but being out in the world - I don't know. I thought I was ready when we were on the run but now that I know I wasn't, I'm second-guessing myself. Did you ever feel like this? Not sure if you were going to be able to handle life as a Guardian?" I rambled on before turning my head to look at him.</p><p>Dimitri had a look of indifference on his face before turning and laying down next to me, resting his hands on his stomach. It must have looked comical if anyone walked in, but it was comforting to have him be both people I needed right now.</p><p>"You're ready. Do you want to know why I know that?" he said as he looked up at the ceiling.</p><p>"Of course. That's why I'm asking you."</p><p>"You're ready because you're anxious. You are worried because you've seen with your own eyes what happens. Out of anyone in your year, you're the only one staff isn't worried about failing. Alto including."</p><p>I sat up with a gasp. "What?! Alto said what?!"</p><p>"I wasn't supposed to tell you that, keep your voice down Roza."</p><p>"You're not just blowing sunshine up my ass, right? You actually think I'm ready for this?"</p><p>Dimitri openly rolled his eyes at me and sat up. "If I didn't think you're ready, I would tell you. Just because I'm your boyfriend doesn't mean I'm going to give you false praise."</p><p>I nodded and got to my feet. "Well, it looks like the two of us are going to suffer on this shopping trip. Lissa is trying to get me to go to prom."</p><p>"Aren't girls supposed to get excited about prom in America?"</p><p>I punched his shoulder and shook my head. Why does everyone think that?</p><p>"I don't want to go, to be honest. I'm only going because I will never hear the end of it from Lissa if I don't."</p><p>I helped Dimitri put away all of the supplies that were brought out for his practice with Eddie, stacking it all away neatly.</p><p>"What, you don't want to go dressed in something that may or may not endanger the whole school?" he asked with a snicker, a sly grin on his face. I shook my head at him as I thought back to the last time I bought a dress and just how much trouble it got us in.</p><p>"Well, I promise it won't be black this time," I purred, making a smirk cross his face. I crossed my arms and rocked by on my feet as he turned to face me. The door was shut behind us and he took that small bit of privacy and stepped forward.</p><p>I bit my lip and looked up at him as his hands wrapped around my waist. "Thank god for that. I don't think I could handle another black dress," he whispered. A rare giggle crossed my lips and stretched up on my toes, meeting him halfway for a very quick kiss. I pulled away and looked at his face, reaching up and gently touching the inflamed skin.</p><p>"Does it hurt? And don't lie to me, Comrade."</p><p>"No, I barely feel it now. It should be gone in a few days."</p><p>I nodded to myself and headed towards the door, holding it open for him and heading to dinner. I was grateful that Dimitri had to postpone practice tonight because of a shift he needed to cover. I really wanted a night to relax after last night.</p><hr/><p>"Little dhampir, how lovely it is to see you on this fine evening."</p><p>I rolled my eyes and looked up as he sat on the bench next to me. It was odd seeing Moroi out at sunrise but then again, again is an oddity in itself.</p><p>"Adrian," I said, moving so there was a little bit more space between us. He didn't seem to understand the concept of personal space lately.</p><p>Adrian lit up his cigarette and inhaled deeply before blowing it out. I waved my hand around to disburse the cloud that settled in front of my face. I don't know how many times he had been told that he couldn't smoke on campus, but he seemed to ignore it. He acted exactly like a royal and it pissed me off immensely. The least he could do was not smoke them right beside me after asking him repeatedly not to.</p><p>"Can you not," I grumbled but he just laughed.</p><p>"Oh, come on, it's not that bad."</p><p>"Actually it is, so either put it out or go away. I'm not in the mood."</p><p>Adrian took a final drag of his cigarette before stamping it out under his designer leather shoe. "Touchy, are we?"</p><p>I glared at him and tucked my knees up to my chest. I was tired and irritable and didn't want to deal with anyone at the moment. My mind felt heavy and the buzz from the bond had me on edge to the point where I was worried I was going to break my teeth.</p><p>"Rose, have you been taking darkness from Lissa lately?" Adrian asked calming, his hand coming to rest on my shoulder. I tensed up and shook him off. "No, I've just had a lot going on that last few days."</p><p>"Want to talk about it?"</p><p>I scoffed and shook my head. "No, I can't talk about it. Not with anyone but my parents. It's a long story," I explained as I ran my hand through my hair, pulling it out of the bun I put it in. I massaged my fingers through my hair trying to alleviate the tension on my scalp.</p><p>"Well, if you want to talk to someone, I'm here. Whatever you say is safe with me. I'm already keeping one of your secrets."</p><p>I furrowed my brows and looked at him. What secret could he possibly know about me that he would keep to himself? Adrian caught my expression and chuckled before standing up and offering me his hand.</p><p>"C'mon, it's freezing out here. Let's go inside and you can pretend that you aren't a can ready to explode."</p><p>I chuckled humorlessly and stood up, not taking his hand but walked beside him. He was quiet for a few moments before he broke the silence. "Just so you know, I know exactly how it feels to be able to do things that others would say is impossible. Don't let it get you down, us oddballs got to stick together."</p><p>I looked at him and he winked at me before opening the door. I went in ahead of him and headed towards the common room and plopped down on one of the faded couches. Adrian raised his brows and sat down across from me before resting his ankle over the opposite knee.</p><p>"Your aura is looking a little shady."</p><p>"How so?"</p><p>"It's dark, really dark. But not the same kind of dark as when you pull Lissa's darkness. I don't know how to explain it. It's like the center is turning black and the edges are ringed with gold. I don't know what to make of it."</p><p>I shrugged and rested my head against the back of the couch. What could it mean?</p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"No. Absolutely not!"</p><p>"Oh, yellow is not that bad of a colour."</p><p>"It is when you have tan skin as I do!"</p><p>Lissa groaned and put the fluffy, tole daffodil yellow dress back on the rack. Finding Lissa a dress was easy. She's tall and slim with the perfect milk-white completion. She zeroed in on a drop sleeve periwinkle dress at the first store we went into. The jeweling at the top of the dress was stunning but the price tag wasn't stunning. My jaw practically hit the floor when I saw how much it cost.</p><p>I wandered through the racks and flipped through dresses, not overly excited by any of them. But I didn't want to go to the stupid dance anyway. Dad stopped me on my way out and wished me luck with the Princess and asked if he wanted Mom and him to go along. I shook my head, stating that I didn't want to make a huge deal out of the trip and went with just Lissa, Dimitri and Guardian Hassel.</p><p>I came to a stop and sighed at one of the dresses. Not my style or colour by any means, but it called out to me. I pulled it off the rack and held it out in front of me. It was a simple v-neck dress with spaghetti straps that tied at the lower back in a criss-cross style. The champagne colour with the lace and beaded overlay was stunning.</p><p>"You're trying it on!" Lissa squawked from her stop across the aisle. I chuckled and carried it with me while she added a few more dresses to her pile for me to try on. There were puffy dresses in bright colours and black dresses too. I was holding firm on not buying a black dress and wandered through the store, looking to see if there are any other dresses that piqued my interest.</p><p>I didn't find anything else, so I headed to the change room and pointed to Lissa when speaking to the attendant. The older woman nodded her head excitedly and scurried off to grab a pair of heels for me to wear while trying the dresses on. I slipped into the change room when she came back and started trying dresses on, vetoing some of them instantly when I saw how hideous they looked. They were styles that would suit Lissa's model-like figure, not my curved one.</p><p>I stepped out in a navy blue long sleeved dress and stood for Lissa to view, but I wasn't sold on the dress. Nor the price tag. I didn't want Lissa paying for my dress either. I tried on a few more that she gushed over, but I didn't love them.</p><p>I finally pulled on the dress I picked out and poked my head out to get her to tie the back, only to find Dimitri right outside the door.</p><p>"Sorry, Lissa had to go to the washroom, Hassel took her. Need help?"</p><p>I nodded and turned around, holding the front of the dress against my chest while Dimitri tied the silk laces. The heat from his fingers made the bare skin of my back prickle. I smoothed the dress out over my legs when he finished. Champagne wasn't my colour, it never was, but it did wonders against my tanned skin.</p><p>"Oh wow. That's your dress," I heard Lissa say as she came around the corner, her hands coming up to her face. I smirked and turned to look at a different angle and agreed with her. It was my dress and I loved how it made my slightly muscular back still look feminine. I lifted my hair up to see how it looked and decided that if I got this dress it would look better with my hair up.</p><p>I smiled and looked down to look at the tag, only to frown. I had a budget and this dress was five times the price. I chewed on the inside of my mouth and shook my head before turning into the change room and rifling through the remainder of dresses that were in my budget. I came across one that was slate gray with gold lines on it, almost geometric and slipped it on. It didn't feel as great as the last dress, but it was ok looking. I stepped out and waited for Lissa's assessment. Lissa liked it but not as much as the last one.</p><p>"I think I like this one better," I stated, trying to force more enthusiasm in my voice than I felt. I quickly went back to the change room but Dimitri stopped me before going in.</p><p>"Get changed and give me your wallet. I'll go up with Lissa and get all of this paid for," he said. I nodded and grabbed my wallet, handing it to him. I gave with a small smile that he returned before closing the door behind him. I changed out of the dress and handed him the dresses, pulling out the grey one for him to take to the counter.</p><p>I took my time putting my clothes off, trying to prevent my hair from getting frizzy before heading out to the counter. Lissa and Dimitri were standing at the entrance, Dimitri holding two black dress bags. I reached out to take mine but Dimitri moved it out of reach and raised his brow. I rolled my eyes as Lissa looped her arm through mine and dragged me to the next store. Shoes.</p><p>If there was something worse than dress shopping with Lissa, it was shopping for shoes.</p><p>I let her drag me through the store and I landed on a pair of nude strappy heels on clearance and Lissa found hers surprisingly fast. I took my wallet back from Dimitri and paid for my shoes before begging Lissa to let us go eat.</p><p>I sat at the table and played with my fries while Lissa talked a mile a minute about accessories and what kind of flower she wants Christian to make her corsage out of to match her dress. Her pick at the moment was lilies.</p><p>"What kind do you want?"</p><p>"What?"</p><p>Lissa smiled as she daintily wiped her lips with her napkin. "Your corsage? Just because you don't want to go with anyone doesn't mean you're not getting one. I'll buy you one," Lissa said flicking through photos on her phone. I shook my head and leaned over to look at the pictures, stopping her when she came across one with calla lilies and orchids. It was simple but pretty.</p><p>"If you could find colours to match my dress, I think that one would be pretty," I said, a little happier about the choice of dress. It would look pretty with the gold and grey. Lissa squealed in excitement before capturing a screen picture and saving it to her album on her phone. I pulled out my wallet to see how much I had left, hoping there would be enough for a soft pretzel at the stand.</p><p>"What is it?" Lissa asked as she looked up at my face.</p><p>I chewed on my lip as I counted the bills in my pocket. There is no way I should have had that much left in my wallet. Not after paying for the dress and shoes. I knew that both were on clearance, but I had more than I should have left. Maybe I just counted wrong before I left the academy this morning.</p><hr/><p>I rolled out of the way as his fist came down to the matt. I used my legs to wrap around his shoulders and used that to flip him over, slamming my fist down over his chest.</p><p>"You know, you're kind of scary Rose."</p><p>I chuckled and got up off him, extending my hand out. "I told you, Eddie. You owed me; this is how I want to claim my payment."</p><p>"By kicking my ass?"</p><p>"By having a partner that's not Dimitri. It is too easy to beat him, I know his moves too well. I needed a fresh target to catch," I shrugged wiping my face with my towel. Eddie shook his head before pushing himself off the matt. I tossed him a water bottle and uncapped mine, taking a swig from it as Eddie glared at me.</p><p>"Hey, it's good practice for you too."</p><p>I had him there. The more one-on-one practice we got before trials was important. We needed to be ready for the practicals.</p><p>"So. I have a question for you," Eddie started off, toying with the bottle in his hands.</p><p>I snorted a laugh, "No. I'm not letting you win next time. You gotta earn it fair and square."</p><p>"No. It's not about sparring. It's about prom."</p><p>I capped my bottle and bent down to stretch, working harder on my left leg because it started to cramp up. "Ok, shoot."</p><p>Eddie followed suit and started to stretch out and I could practically hear him thinking over his questions. I let him take his time, but I had an inkling as to what he wanted to ask.</p><p>"I know that you don't have a date and I don't either," Eddie said as he stretched his calves. I snickered and sat down, stretching my legs out in front of me, reaching my arms out and folding myself to lay my stomach on my legs.</p><p>"And?"</p><p>Eddie glared at me slightly before I started to crack up. "Eddie? Are you asking me to be your date?"</p><p>"Yes, obviously."</p><p>I laughed and shook my head. "Why would you ask me?"</p><p>"Because. Don't let this go to your head but you are the prettiest girl in our year and I can guarantee that if you don't go with someone you'll never hear the end of it. Plus, if you go with me, I'm not expecting anything at the end of the night. You're also my best friend, and I'd rather go with you than anyone else."</p><p>I thought it over and he was right. If I showed up alone it would be like a beacon for all the lousy Moroi. Eddie wouldn't be a perv with me and I would have a good time with him there.</p><p>"Ok."</p><p>Eddie snapped his head up from where he was stretching. "Yeah?"</p><p>I tossed my towel at him and laughed. "Yeah, I'll go with you. It'll be fun to go with my best friend."</p><p>Eddie smirked and stood up as he continued to stretch. "Awesome. I already asked Belikov if he was cool with it."</p><p>My laughter shocked both of us as I climbed to my feet. He seriously asked Dimitri if he could take me to prom? I voiced the question to him and he nodded with a smirk.</p><p>"I wanted to make sure he was cool with it. I know that if he were able to, he'd go with you to make you happy, and he said he didn't mind if it was me that you went with. I just had to promise I'd let him have a few dances at some point."</p><p>I shrugged and packed my stuff back into my back. "We have a few more weeks until we have to worry about that anyway. I'll see you at dinner. I need a shower, badly," I said lifting my bag up.</p><p>"Yes, you do," Eddie laughed and ducked out of the way in time for my water bottle to sail past where his head would have been.</p><hr/><p>I massaged my scalp under the hot stream and breathed deeply, letting the hot water open my airways and fill my senses with the smell of my shampoo. I needed a mental minute. Between training with Dimitri, my extra time with Eddie, and practice with Dad, I was starting to feel burnt out again, and I'll be damned if I let it get the best of me again. Lissa had been using more Spirit lately and I was starting to feel antsy from that. It was like no matter where I turned there was something that needed my attention. Plus, the last time I had been able to steal a kiss from Dimitri was before the shopping trip and that was three weeks ago. That was too long in my books.</p><p>I rubbed myself down with the towel and dressed in jeans and a sweater, ditching the light jacket I brought and made my way to the edge of campus, towards one of the small cabins that littered the back of campus. Dimitri was going to be on shift for a few more hours and I just needed some time alone to process my thoughts and let my head get back to where it needed to be.</p><p>I picked the lock on the door and entered quickly, closing the door behind me and latching it again. I rested against the door and let out a deep breath before venturing into the cabin. I ignored the fireplace because there was no way I was <em>ever</em> going to get a proper fire going and crawled onto the bed. I rearranged the pillows around me and got comfortable, closing my eyes and relaxing my mind and body.</p><p>I laid there breathing slowly and deeply as I felt my body melt into the mattress. It felt so good to release all the pent up tension in my body. Some of it was from school, some from training, some from not being able to be intimate with Dimitri, and some was Lissa's nighttime activities leaking through the bond. I started to feel weightless and I smiled to myself.</p><p>This must be what it feels like to be in complete Zen.</p><p>I stayed like that until the door opened but hearing them speak was like it was coming down a long tunnel.</p><p>"Kiz, you need to stop."</p><p>Stop? Why would I stop? I was so relaxed.</p><p>"Rosemarie."</p><p>I ignored the voices calling out to me as I drifted further into relaxation only to snap my eyes open when a hand gently rested on my arm. I looking directly into my mom's eyes. It was strange though, she wasn't crouched down at bed level, she was standing up at full height. I looked around and quickly solved my confusion. Everything was off the ground, including me. And it all came crashing down with that realization.</p><p>I was surprised that the legs of the bed didn't snap off when it hit the ground like the legs of one of the chairs. The momentum flung me off the bed and I rolled on the floor, coming to a stop at Dad's feet by the door.</p><p>"What the hell happened?" I asked, looking up at him from the floor. He leaned down and helped me to my feet before looking me over for cuts. It was sweet really that he did that, but I was a big girl. Plus I didn't hurt.</p><p>"It looks like your tapped into your full potential. You used to do things like this when you were sleeping. We had to bolt your bed to the floor when you were younger."</p><p>I pulled away and looked at the chaos the room turned into. Furniture was broken all over the place, the legs of the table cracked, the chairs were broken, nick-knacks scattered everywhere.</p><p>"How did you know where I was?"</p><p>"I could feel you," Dad replied as he turned the table upright. I furrowed my brows before remembering that he had said, that when I was little it would feel like a tsunami pulling back from the shore. I wrapped my arms around my waist and shifted my weight from one foot to the other.</p><p>"I didn't hurt you, I mean mentally, right?"</p><p>Dad stopped putting things back into place and turned to look at me with a soft expression. "No, Kiz. You didn't hurt me, it just felt like a tugging in my mind. I was more concerned about your own safety."</p><p>I nodded and helped Mom clean up the cabin before straightening the covers on the bed. It didn't take us long to put everything right and we left, hiking back to campus. I kept my arms wrapped around myself, slightly for comfort also because I was thoroughly exhausted now.</p><p>I was happy to find that Lissa was already asleep as I unlocked my door, praising whatever deity was up there looking out for me. At least tonight I wouldn't have to see her amours activities. My head wasn't on the pillow long before I was asleep.</p><hr/><p>I remember hating running. I remember loathing every step he made me take, but now I love it. I love the feeling of the wind in my hair and the crisp feeling in my lungs. I loved the slight burn in my legs and the freeing feeling it gave me.</p><p>I could hear Dimitri catching up with me and I smiled while taking in a deep breath, pumping my legs to try and beat my time.</p><p>"Are you going to do laps all morning, or do you want to spar?"</p><p>I chuckled and slowed my pace and turned to look at him, stretching my arms.</p><p>"Of course I want to spar!"</p><p>Dimitri directed us towards the field because the gym was full of Novices trying to get last minute training in. I set my bag down and stretched my legs before getting into a defensive stance and we started to circle each other. I knew what he was going to do before he even moved and had my move planned out.</p><p>I leapt to the side and threw a kick to his lower back, but he spun around and gripped my leg, pulling it towards him roughly. I stumbled and wrapped my hands around his shoulder, bringing my other leg between us and kicking him away. I tumbled to the ground and rolled, but Dimitri was fast and I sometimes forgot just how fast. He was on me in a split second, kneeling over me and trying to pin me down. He got me where I wanted him and pinned me down with his hips, his hands clamping over my wrists and holding them about my head.</p><p>Dimitri had a cocky smirk on his face and I narrowed my eyes at him before rocking my hips up against his, aiming to rub against him. The smirk left his face as his eyes darkened and he put more of his weight against me. I smirked at him as he switched both of my hands into one of his as the free hand trailed down my arms. I let him fall right into my trap as his head dipped down to my neck, I pulled my legs out from under him and wrapped them over his, rocking up and flipping him.</p><p>The flip startled him and I wrenched my hands free and slammed my fist down over his chest.</p><p>"You didn't say dead. I win."</p><p>Dimitri had a blank look on his face before he cracked up in laughter, his whole body vibrating because he was laughing so hard. I sat up on him and laughed as well, smiling down at him as I rested my hands on his stomach.</p><p>"Really?" he asked as he leaned up on his elbows. I smiled and leaned forward, pressing my lips against his softly. I deepened the kiss as his hand came up to my face, cupping my neck and pulling me closer.</p><p>"We," <em>kiss</em> "should probably" <em>kiss</em>, "head back soon. Class starts soon."</p><p>Dimitri hummed against my lips as he sat up completely, but didn't pull away from me. "I know, but wait a few more minutes." I sighed happily and wrapped my arms around his neck. I pulled myself flush to him, raising up on my knees to be at a better height with him. His hands slid down to my hips and squeezed the flesh gently before traveling lower, squeezing my butt firmly. My lips parted in a gasp but that was all the invitation he needed for his tongue to slip between my lips. I twisted my fingers into his hair and held myself to him and shivered as his hands slid up my waist, his fingers twisting around the edges of my shirt and pulled it up. I pulled away long enough to pull it off my head and returned my mouth to his hungerly.</p><p>The sound of something snapping pulled us away from each other and onto our feet. I spun around looking for the source but there was nobody there. I looked to Dimitri but his mask was firmly in place. I snatched my shirt off the grass and pulled it on quickly while looking around again. We got careless and it could have ended horribly if someone had seen us.</p><p>Dimitri ran his hand over his hair and took a sharp breath before picking up both of our bags, handing mine to me. I took it and licked my lips before shouldering it, giving him a tentative look. He rarely kept his Guardian mask up with me, but his was still firmly in place. He started walking towards campus and I jogged to catch up with him, coming to walk quickly beside him.</p><p>"We cannot do that again," he said quietly and I nodded in agreeance. It was too public to kiss out here.</p><p>"I know. We just need to be more careful," I said but he stopped and turned to me. He was completely devoid of emotion.</p><p>"No, we can't do <em>that</em> again. Rose, we could have been caught. Your father already thinks there is something going on between us, and we keep slipping up."</p><p>I sighed and crossed my arms over my chest. "What exactly are you saying, Comrade?"</p><p>Dimitri crossed his arms too and for a moment I saw a fraction of emotion in his eyes, and it wasn't something I wanted to see right now.</p><p>"I know I said that we wouldn't go back to pretending nothing was there, but we need to be extra careful now. Maybe we need to..."</p><p>"Go back to pretending there is nothing between us," I said, completing his train of thought. Two steps forward, three steps back.</p><p>Dimitri frowned and stepped towards me, his hand reaching out and cupping my cheek. I looked up and saw the struggle in his eyes and I was sure that it was clear in mine.</p><p>"I don't want this, but we can't get caught, Roza. We both know this," Dimitri said gently, but I could hear it in his voice. Having to go backwards hurt him just as much as it hurt me.</p><p>"Only for a few weeks?"</p><p>Dimitri nodded, "Only for a few weeks."</p><p>I nodded and sighed, feeling disheartened. This is so not what I wanted to deal with.</p>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Stress never helped with the nightmares, and tonight they were even worse. Even more than when the events were fresh in my mind. I sat up in my bed drenched in sweat to find the dresser knocked over. The falling of it must have been what woke me up from the dream. I looked over at the clock and saw that it was dead of night, but I knew that I wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep. I changed my soaked shirt and pulled on a pair of sneakers before sneaking out of my room and out to the roof entrance.</p><p>I jammed a stone between the door and the frame and walked out and sat down, dangling my legs over the edge. Now that it was June, I took every opportunity to soak up the hot sun. The worst part about this whole situation is that I would usually seek Dimitri out when the nightmares got really bad, but three weeks into the 'we're pretending we aren't together' bullshit and we were practically avoiding each other at all costs. It sucked more than having to pretend that we weren't together. And I missed him, horribly.</p><p>Lissa hadn't picked up on my change of mood which was great, but Eddie had kept asking me about it. I brushed him off and avoided the subject, but the questions were getting annoying. Hell, even Dad picked up on my change and the lack of Dimitri being present during our practices. I simply told Dad that Dimitri was taking up other shifts now that I was prepared enough for trails, but he didn't seem to believe it.</p><p>I leaned back on my hands and tilted my head up to the sun, soaking in the feeling of the heat on my face. It almost chased away the fear of the dreams and I started to feel calm again. I laid back and rested my hands over my stomach, closing my eyes and breathing slowly until I felt calm again.</p><p>I didn't know how long I was there for, but when a hand clamped down on my shoulder, my eyes shot open only to find Alberta standing above me. The sky behind her was dark.</p><p>"Christ Rose! How long have you been up here?" Alberta exclaimed, pulling me away from the edge. I blinked and stretched my neck, kicking myself for falling asleep on the gravel. I pulled myself to my feet and stretched my shoulders while Alberta talked into her radio, letting others know where she found me.</p><p>"What time is it?" I asked as I followed Alberta off the roof. Alberta turned and frowned at me before leading me towards my dorm.</p><p>"Rose, it's almost lunchtime."</p><p>Yikes. I slept for a <em>really </em>long time.</p><p>"Get ready and then head to class, Rose. I'd rather not have a reason to give you grief right before trials."</p><p>I nodded and slipped into my room and got ready, pulling my uniform on without putting on nylons and stuffing my feet into flats before hightailing it to the cafeteria to grab something quick to eat before classes.</p><p>I made it to my class as the final bell rang and I slid into my seat beside Lissa who pinned me in lace with her stare.</p><p>
  <em>Where were you this morning?</em>
</p><p>I groaned and whispered, "I overslept."</p><p>Lissa raised her brows at me but didn't push the matter as the teacher stepped into the class. I kept my eyes forward but could feel a pair of eyes on my back. I turned slowly and looked over my shoulder to find Dimitri at the back of the class with three other Guardians. I met his eyes before quickly turning back to the front of the room, trying to focus on the class. But I couldn't. My mind was still replaying my nightmares in my head over and over again. It was like I couldn't get the loop to stop.</p><p>The class went quickly, thankfully, and I was up and out of my seat before Lissa had a chance to put her pencil down. I practically ran from the class to the gym for the other class and changed quickly. Maybe letting out some agitation on a heavy bag would help.</p><p>I had a bit of time before the rest of the class got there so I started out on the bag, rolling my shoulders a few times before throwing punches. I focused on the bag, the sound of my fists hitting it and the burn I felt against my knuckles. I spun around when a pair of hands touched my shoulders and out of instinct, my fist flew out.</p><p>A hand clamped over it and stopped it mid-throw. I looked up to find the only – and the last – person I wanted to see.</p><p>"Look at your hands!" Dimitri chastised, letting go of mine and cupping them gently. I looked down to see the bleeding skin and groaned. I forgot to put on gloves.</p><p>Dimitri pulled me towards the bench and gently pushed me to sit down before going to get the first aid kit. Now that I wasn't slamming my fist against the bag, they stung like crazy. Dimitri came back and sat down beside me, taking my bloody hand in his and dabbing at it with a wet cloth.</p><p>"Are you ok?"</p><p>"I'm fine," I whispered, not wanting to open the vault of feelings that was on the verge of bursting. I wanted to talk to him, but I didn't want to make things more difficult than they already were. Dimitri cleared his throat and kept tending to my hands, gently wrapping them before holding his hand over mine. The warmth of his hand was comforting and I drank in every bit of it before I had to go.</p><p>"Rose?"</p><p>I looked up at him instead of looking at his hand. "Yeah?"</p><p>"You're not ok," he said softly. I shrugged and looked away while chewing on my lip.</p><p>"I miss you," I whispered. Dimitri sighed deeply and pulled me towards him, wrapping an arm around me.</p><p>"I miss you too Roza. I didn't think we were going to start avoiding each other."</p><p>I nodded and sniffed and pulled my hands out from under his. "You're going to be there on Friday, right?" I asked timidly.</p><p>"I wouldn't miss your trials, Roza. I plan on being the first one to congratulate you when you finish," Dimitri said tenderly, reaching up to play with a strand of hair that escaped my ponytail. It was a mimic of a time that felt like years ago, and it made my heart flutter in my chest. I met his eyes and the small smile that graced his lips made my heart stop completely for a second before the outer doors slammed against the wall. It was enough for us to pull away from each other after leaning towards one another. Dimitri cleared his throat before picking up the garbage and closing the box.</p><p>"Make sure to wear gloves, baby. Can't have your hands torn up on Friday," he said quietly as he stood up, giving me a half-smile before heading towards the supply room.</p><hr/><p>I closed my eyes and let the music in my earbuds distract me from what was going on. I breathed deeply and tensed up when someone pulled out one of my earbuds.</p><p>"If you don't breathe properly, you're going to pass out before you get out there."</p><p>I pulled the other one out and turned to face Dimitri, nodding as I wrapped the cord around my iPod.</p><p>"I know, just trying to calm myself. I'm not so nervous about the trials, I'm worried about my written exams," I said with a shake of my head.</p><p>Dimitri nodded and took my iPod from me, slipping it into his pocket and handing me my hand wraps. I pulled them on and made sure my shoes were tied tightly. I pulled my hair up behind me and looped the band around to secure my hair in place, only for the band to snap in my hand.</p><p>Damn. That was the <em>only</em> hair tie I had left.</p><p>I muttered a highly colourful word under my breath, expecting a rebuke from Dimitri. Instead, I got a smirk and he pulled his hair tie out of his own hair and handed it to me. I took it with a smile and tied my hair back and sighed. Only a few more minutes until go time. Dimitri grasped my shoulders and gave me a gentle squeeze.</p><p>"I'm not going to give you a pep talk because I know you don't need it. I know that you are going to kick ass, and you're going to it well. You got this," he said quietly but I could hear the pride in his voice. I nodded and patted his hands before turning around and getting ready to go next, tightening my hair one last time.</p><hr/><p>I wasn't sure whose arms were squeezing me harder: Lissa's or Dad's. I could barely breathe. I tried to wiggle out but it was no use.</p><p>"You got the highest score!" Lissa squealed in my ear and I chuckled a little. That was shocking! I was so shocked that I couldn't do anything but let my mouth hang open. I was also shocked to see Mom waiting at the end with Dad and she was ecstatic.</p><p>"As long as I pass my written exams, I'm golden!" I joked which Lissa punched my shoulder playfully to before she pulled away, letting Dad swoop in and give me a proper hug. I shifted and wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my head on his shoulder.</p><p>"I'm proud of you. Watching you out there was something else," Dad said into my ear. I gave him a quick squeeze and pulled away, sucking in a greedy breath as Mom casually draped her arm over my shoulders.</p><p>"You did very well," Mom congratulated and gave me a kind smile. I leaned against her and wrapped my arm around her waist. That was the only compliment I could remember her ever giving me. My eyes met Dimitri's over Lissa's shoulder as he approached. His congratulations were quick with a chaste kiss on the cheek and a bear hug, whispering how proud he was of me before ushering me out to my family.</p><p>"Rose did exceptionally. You as well, Castile. You did very well," Dimitri said as he came to a stop beside Lissa, a smile on his face. It wasn't often that he gave full smiles in public, but he had a reason to right now.</p><p>I smiled at him and nudged Eddie who stood beside me. He did do well, and I honestly thought he was going to be recognized as the best in our year, but he ranked second.</p><p>"You all did," Dad said. "I think this calls for a celebration."</p><p>I rolled my eyes and groaned. It felt like he had money burning in his pockets and he had to spend it.</p><p>"Dad," I whined, and I saw a smirk cross his face.</p><p>"Nope. We are celebrating. All of us," Dad said pointedly, turning to look at my friends and then to Dimitri. Dimitri nodded, making it clear that he understood that he didn't have a choice in the matter before bidding goodbye and heading off to a meeting.</p><p>I wiggled away from my parents and pulled Lissa along, chatting her up about the 'celebration' tonight that I was sure Dad would go overboard on.</p><p>"I'm coming, but Tasha just got onto campus. Do you think Christian and her could come? I'm sure Christian would like to come and congratulate you."</p><p>I frowned but nodded anyway. I may not have been a huge fan of Tasha because of her feelings for Dimitri, but I figured that it wouldn't hurt if there were other people there. Despite the awkward situation, she was Dimitri's friend and Christian was mine even if I didn't want to admit that.</p><p>I split off from Lissa and walked around campus, watching the stars as I went. The air was warm and still and I breathed the smell of the earth deeply. I loved it and loved the stillness of the grounds. I wandered further towards the edge of campus, coming to a stop at the lake. This place felt calm despite the terrors that happened here. So many things would have changed that night if the Mana hadn't done what they had done. The only good thing that happened that night was Dimitri and me, finally becoming one in mind and soul.</p><p>I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand, and I spun around only to have my hands caught and pulled forward roughly. The smirk on Dimitri's face was cocky and I narrowed my eyes at him.</p><p>"You should know better than to sneak up on a Guardian," I said.</p><p>Dimitri laughed and let go of my hands. "You aren't a full-fledged Guardian yet, but you are already quite the Guardian."</p><p>I rolled my eyes and placed my hands on my hips. "Really? Cause I kicked a lot of Guardian ass today. I think that should qualify me as a Guardian," I said with a smirk. I knew that I sounded like a petulant kid, but I wanted to toy with him a bit. But he didn't play into my game.</p><p>Dimitri chuckled and leaned down to pick up the wooden box on the ground and gestured for me to follow him. I shook my head and followed after him before coming to walk beside him, enjoying the closeness. Realizing the direction he was leading me, I raised my brows but followed nonetheless.</p><p>It was weird being back in the cabin after what happened the last time I was here, and I wondered if he would notice that things had moved. But he didn't mention it and did the same thing he always did when we came here – sweeping the cabin before starting on the fire. I plopped down on the couch and laid down, groaning as my body stretched on the cushions. Dimitri appeared over me with a smile before lifting my upper body up and sitting down, laying me back down against him.</p><p>"Alright Mister 'we need to keep a low profile', what are we doing here?"</p><p>Dimitri scoffed and wrapped his arms around me. "I wanted to be able to congratulate my girlfriend without the risk of being caught. Sue me."</p><p>I laughed at the sarcasm in his voice and squirmed in his arms to look at him. During my trials, I felt like it was too easy, but that was until I was nearing the finish and Dimitri had stepped into my path. And I hadn't faltered. I had been ready. The fight had been relatively short for us and I was able to faux stake him quickly before moving my "Moroi" to safety. But now looking at him, I can see the bruise creeping up on his jaw and cheek from the butt of my stake, and I reached my fingers up to stroke it.</p><p>"I think I deserve a reward for how quick I took you down," I simpered, smiling sweetly at him.</p><p>Dimitri smirked and dipped his head down, giving me a real kiss that made my heart flutter in my chest. He pulled away a few moments later and I chased his lips for a second, making him chuckle before brushing my lips again.</p><p>"I do have something for you, but if you'd rather have this, that's fine," he quipped and I sat up abruptly.</p><p>"What do you mean?"</p><p>Dimitri winked and pulled the box off the table and set it in his lap, running his fingers over the lid. He looked at it for a moment before handing it to me.</p><p>"These were mine when I graduated. My mentor gave them to me, and now I'm passing them to you."</p><p>I opened the lid to find two silver stakes resting in the satin, polished and gleaming. They were beautiful, to be frank. The ends had geometric designs on them, etched into the silver almost like a grip. I looked at him before carefully lifting one out of the case. I rolled it in my hands to find an inscription etched in as well. Глаза боятся, а руки делают.</p><p>"What does that mean?" I asked, running my fingers over the engraving. Dimitri smiled and helped me pronounce it.</p><p>"Glaza boyatsya, a ruki delayut. It translates to 'the eyes are afraid, but the hands still do'. It means to feel the fear but do it anyway. We are in a line of work where we face fear all the time. I don't ever want you to feel like you can't be scared. It's ok to be scared, but you need to push through it anyway."</p><p>I ran my finger over the stake a few times before turning and wrapping my arms around his neck, resting my face in the crook of his neck.</p><p>"Thank you," I mumbled into his skin. Dimitri wrapped his arms around me and squeezed me tightly, his face turning into my hair. "I half-expected it to be some Zen crap that you tell me all the time."</p><p>Dimitri chuckled into my hair and tickled my sides, making me squeal and wiggle in his grasp. I tried to pull away from him, but he had me in a steel grasp, laughing as I squealed and giggled under his touch.</p><p>"Ok, ok. I give up! I surrender! It's not Zen crap, I actually enjoy it!" I squealed as he continued to tickle me. He finally stopped and pulled back enough to look down at me with a fond expression.</p><p>"Good. I'm glad to hear that."</p><p>I rolled my eyes and set the stake back in the box before curling back up on the couch with him, resting my head against his chest. I enjoyed the feeling, the smell, and the heat of him as we sat there watching the flames. We didn't need to fill the comfortable silence with words. Being next to each other was enough.</p><p>A rattle at the door pulled us away from each other and the door swung open, revealing a woman I hadn't seen in months.</p><p>"Oh. What are you two doing here?"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tasha looked like a fish out of water as she looked at Dimitri and I, shoulder to shoulder on the couch. Her eyes looked at the two of us with uncertainty before Dimitri quickly filled in the void of silence.</p><p>"Tasha, it's lovely to see you."</p><p>Tasha nodded and turned to close the door, pulling her bags into the cabin as she did. Was she staying here? In <em>our</em> cabin?</p><p>"Dimitri was just giving me my graduation gift," I said, gesturing to the wooden box.</p><p>"Graduation's not for a few days," Tasha replied skeptically.</p><p>"Yes, but I wanted Rose to see it before the graduation ceremony. My mentor Galina gave two stakes as my graduation gift, and I'm passing them down to Rose," Dimitri cut in. Leave it to him to smooth over the awkwardness. Tasha furrowed her brows and set her key to the cabin on the coffee table, crossing her arms over her chest.</p><p>"Ok, but I still don't understand why you two are in <em>here</em>."</p><p>"We hang out here sometimes. Especially when I struggle with what happened in Spokane," I added in.</p><p>The mention of Spokane softened her expression and her posture relaxed, and she sat down in the chair across from us. It seemed that she understood that I may have needed someone who could sympathize with me over what happened.</p><p>Tasha gave me a small smile and pointed at the box. "Can I see them?" she asked. I looked over and Dimitri and the look he gave me said that it was up to me.</p><p>I shrugged and opened the box, lifting one of them out and holding it for her to look at. I didn't want her to touch them. It seemed wrong to let her touch them.</p><p>"They're beautiful. Did you do all of that, Dimka?" Tasha whispered, turning her attention to Dimitri.</p><p>Dimitri shook his head. "No. The stakes were originally Galina's, and when she passed them to me she had the hilt engraving done. I had the proverb added when I was confident that Rose was going to graduate."</p><p>I turned and playfully smacked his chest. "You had doubts that I wasn't going to graduate?!" I exclaimed, feigning hurt. Dimitri chuckled and ruffled my hair, making me duck out from under his hand.</p><p>"No, I would have made sure you graduated. I just needed to see how long it would take."</p><p>I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms, leaning back into the couch. I knew in my heart that he had faith in me from the get-go.</p><p>"Have you seen Christian yet?" I asked, changing the subject away from why Dimitri and I were in here.</p><p>Tasha smiled and leaned back in her seat. "Yes, I did. He had mentioned a celebration dinner tomorrow?"</p><p>I nodded with a smirk. "Yep. Dad wanted to celebrate the Novices graduating to Guardians. The invite was extended to Lissa, Christian and yourself."</p><p>"That's very kind of you."</p><p>The three of us sat in silence for a few more moments before I couldn't take it anymore and jumped up.</p><p>"Well. I should get going. Do I get to take these with me or do I get them at the ceremony?"</p><p>"I'll give them to you formally at the graduation ceremony," Dimitri replied with a half-smile. I nodded and awkwardly bounced on the balls of my feet before saying goodnight and fleeing.</p><hr/><p>Lissa seemed to be enjoying the family outing more than I expected her to. But then again, it had been so long since she had a family to have an outing with. She had a smile on her face so wide I thought it was going to crack her cheeks. She was seated on one side of me with Christian on the other while leaning on the table towards Dad as he told an exuberant tale.</p><p>The table was crowded and we all squeezed in close to listen. Dimitri was on the other side of me with Tasha on his other side, my parents, Eddie and Adrian on the other side. The Guardians that came with us from the school and Abe's additional Guardians sat at a table just off to the side of us, blending in with the other patrons in the restaurant. We decided to go to an all-day breakfast bar given that it was our morning but to the humans, it was dinner time.</p><p>"So there she was, standing on top of the dining room table in a duck hooded towel screaming that Mr. Quack can't be alone in the bathtub," Dad explained over his laughter. I was slightly mortified at the tale of me as a child but happy to hear of them. Hell, even Dimitri laughed at some of the stories my parents told of me as a toddler and young child.</p><p>"So where did the name Rosemarie come from? It's very American for her background," Tasha said as she sipped her orange juice.</p><p>Dad smiled as he looked at me before responding. "Well, Rosemarie was a name that Jeanie always loved. Rose is also partly named after my sister, Aergul, which means blooming roses in Turkish. But the origin of Rosemarie is 'dew of the sea'. It's fitting since Rose never wanted to leave the water when living in Turkey."</p><p>I leaned forward in my seat with my mouth open in awe. "I lived in Turkey?"</p><p>"Yes," Mom replied. "We lived there until you turned four and then moved here when we brought you to the academy."</p><p>I sighed trying to imagine it, but even I couldn't picture it. Lissa was explaining to my parents about the time that her family and I went to Alaska on a summer break trip and how even though the water wasn't exceptionally warm, that I loved to swim in it. Mom and Dad both laughed at the story and agreed that I should have been born a mermaid instead of a Dhampir.</p><p>I felt content listening to the people around me converse as a family; even with Tasha and Adrian there. I may have had regards about the two but these people were all becoming my family. Eddie being one of my closest friends, my parents, Lissa my best friend and sister, Christian becoming steadily one of my friends. Adrian could be a huge pain in the ass but I knew that I was a part of his family as well.</p><p>And then there was Dimitri, who came into my life like a wrecking ball and yanked me out of my apartment in Portland, dragging me back to St. Vladimir's and turning my life around. I didn't realize how much I needed someone to believe in me for me to pull myself back together and get back into training. And here I was, nine months later, graduating. That and I couldn't imagine not having him in my life now.</p><p>Dad leaned back in his chair and fished envelopes out of his pocket, distributing them to Lissa, Christian, Eddie and myself. I looked down at the envelope confused and looked up at my dad.</p><p>"What are these?" Eddie asked, setting his down on the table.</p><p>"Graduation gifts, you all deserve them after the hell of a year you've had."</p><p>Out of politeness, we didn't open them right away, but looking at mine I could tell that mine was empty. It struck me as odd but I decided to wait to ask about it in private. Our breakfast/dinner arrived shortly after and I perked up at the prospect of eggs benedict. I didn't get it very often but it was my favourite aside from chocolate chip pancakes and bacon.</p><p>I observed Dimitri's egg white omelet with raised brows and a smirk. He was such a health nut. Although I noticed that Dad and Mom ordered something equally as healthy. I observed the table and looked over to see that the table of Guardians were eating breakfast feasts too. It made me happy to know that Dad wasn't the kind of Moroi to make his Guardians sit there and sip coffee while he ate.</p><p>"What are you planning to do when the lot graduates, Adrian?" Dad asked in the middle of his meal. Adrian had been playing with most of his meal, although I couldn't call it much of a meal because it was just a fried egg sandwich.</p><p>"Probably go back to court. Although, I've been thinking about taking an art class at a local college."</p><p>His statement stunned all of us into stillness. I was surprised to hear him say art classes but I could understand it. He always saw colours no matter what he did or what he looked at, so I could understand the appeal.</p><p>"I think you'd do well in that," I piped up from my spot across from him. He looked up and gave me a small genuine smile before returning his attention to his meal. I gobbled down my meal and leaned back in my chair with a happy sigh, my hand coming to rest on my bloated stomach. Dad had a smile on his face the whole time we were here and it made me happy to see how happy everyone was here. Everyone had a smile on their face - even Dimitri. Although it wasn't a full smile like he gave me when we were alone, it was a smile nonetheless.</p><p>When the waitress came around with the cheque, Tasha, Dimitri, Lissa and Adrian all reached for their wallets but Dad already had the bill paid, tip included. He also shelled out some bills for the meals for the Guardians before guiding us all outside. While the sun was starting to set, we climbed into the vehicles and took as little time as we could before we headed back towards the academy.</p><p>Lissa and Christian elected to ride back with Tasha, so they along with Dimitri went in one vehicle and Eddie and Adrian went back with the other school Guardians, leaving just me and my parents to go back with Pavel. I climbed into the backseat with Dad and leaned my head against the window, smiling at the full feeling in my stomach before speaking.</p><p>"I know my envelope was empty."</p><p>"That's correct, Kiz."</p><p>"So, no graduation gift?" I laughed, sitting up and looking at Dad. Mom turned around in the passenger seat and gave me a smile before looking to Dad.</p><p>"Go ahead, Abe. Spoil your daughter."</p><p>Dad chuckled and crossed his leg over the other before returning his attention to me.</p><p>"If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?"</p><p>I rolled my eyes and snorted a laugh. I didn't have money to go anywhere in the world, but I decided to indulge him anyway.</p><p>"I don't know. Bora Bora? Italy? Greece? Why?"</p><p>"You need to pick one dear, because in two weeks you and Lissa will be going to one."</p><p>Pardon me?</p><p>"I said that in two weeks, which is right after you move back to court that you and Lissa will be going on a trip. A three-week-long trip to be exact."</p><p>I gapped like a fish at them while Mom laughed at my expression. Were they serious? Where the hell did they get the money to do something like this? I was so shocked that Dad started to laugh too, leaning over to kiss my cheek and ruffling my hair.</p><p>"Don't look so shocked. If we had the opportunity to live all together we would have gone on trips all the time. I know that we can't take back the birthdays and Christmases missed, but I want to do what I can now before you start life as a Guardian.</p><p>I was still lost for words when the car lurched to a stop. Dad's arm swung out across my chest to keep me from flying forward in my seat before we both slammed back into the seats. I looked over Pavel's shoulder to see a car stranded in the middle of the road, the lights on but all the doors open. I shook my head as I unbuckled my seatbelt and leaned further over the middle console to see what was going on.</p><p>That was when the crippling wave of nausea hit me. I groaned and clutched at my stomach while trying to spit out the words.</p><p>"It's a Strigoi attack!" I bit out as Mom and Pavel moved into position. Mom ordered the two of us to stay in the car, slipping a stake to me just in case. I watched the Guardians move out of the other vehicles and I watched as Dimitri joined the fray too. I could feel myself practically bouncing in my seat as I watched at least fifteen Strigoi face off against the seven Guardians.</p><p>I felt useless as I watched but when I saw one Strigoi knock Mom down, her stake rolled away from her. Dad couldn't get a grip on me before I was out of the car, charging towards the Strigoi while rolling Mom's stake back towards her as I approached. I launched onto the Strigoi and knocked him off, giving Mom enough time to grab her stake and stake the Strigoi I was grappling with.</p><p>"I told you to stay in the car!" Mom hissed.</p><p>"You're welcome!" I replied back sarcastically as I rounded her, getting into position to cover her back. It was strange fighting with someone but I couldn't focus on that. I needed to be here in the now.</p><p>It was almost like breathing as I fought off Strigoi alongside Mom and I quickly staked a Strigoi. I spun around to see that one had slipped through us, and one that looked like it was ancient. I made sure Mom could handle herself before breaking off towards the car with Lissa and the others in it.</p><p>The Strigoi just made it to the car when a ring of flames erupted around his face, giving me just enough of a distraction to stake him. I could see Lissa inside the vehicle and I saw the look of relief on her face. I gave her a quick nod before turning around again to face the crowd. I was happy to see that Dimitri was taking down the last one before looking around, eyes landing on me.</p><p>"All good?" he asked, looking down to my stomach.</p><p>I stood there for a minute as I caught my breath, focusing on the feeling in my stomach before nodding.</p><p>"Yeah, we're all good. But I don't know for how long," I said, relaxing my position and sagging. I bent over and rested my hands on my knees for a moment before my stomach stirred again, but not in the same way. I stood upright and scampered to the grass before vomiting up my dinner, groaning when I finished. Maybe the heavy meal was a bad idea.</p><p>My hair was pulled out of my face and tissue was handed to me. I took it and stood up straight, turning to find Mom holding my hair back.</p><p>"Food didn't have enough time to settle. It happens to all of us," she sympathized. Well, now I felt less crappy about puking post-Strigoi fight.</p><p>"Alright, get back in the car. Your father is probably fit to be tied," Mom said, patting my back and directing me to the car. I looked over one last time to see Dimitri give me a firm but heartfelt look before slipping into his own car.</p><p>Mom was right - Dad was fit to be tied that I left the car. He barely said a word as we headed back but the moment we crossed the ward lines and got out of the car, he had me wrapped in a bear hug.</p><p>"Don't ever do that again," he growled in my ear, squeezing the crap out of me. I wrapped my arms around what I could of him and shrugged.</p><p>"That is what my job is going to be, Dad. There is always the risk."</p><p>Dad huffed and hugged me harder, even though I didn't think it was possible. I let him do it though because he needed the comfort and I wanted to give it. The Moroi, aside from Dad, were quickly sequestered away to their respective rooms before the Guardians, Eddie, Dad and I headed to see Alberta.</p><p>I wiped away at my mouth as we walked and I was grateful when a package of mints appeared in front of me. I smiled at Dimitri as he offered them to me and popped a few in my mouth.</p><p>"Is this why you carry mints with you everywhere?" I joked sarcastically. Dimitri shrugged and nudged my shoulder. Alberta was waiting for us outside her office with Kirova and we made our way in quietly. Kirova kicked up a fuss about me and Eddie being there but Mom quickly stepped in and said that it was necessary. Eddie aided the Moroi by staying with them and I had taken down a few Strigoi.</p><p>The meeting thankfully didn't last long and we were able to head to bed. I was starving again but didn't think I could stomach any more food after what happened. I hugged my parents good night and started to head back to the dorms. I wasn't far from the main building when I felt Dimitri come into step with me. He didn't say anything but stirred me towards the Guardian building and into one of the lounges.</p><p>"What are we doing here?" I asked wearily, rubbing my eyes.</p><p>"You need to eat something. I know that you may not feel like it but you need to eat. You'll regret it in the morning if you don't," Dimitri said as he picked out a few sandwiches and a bottle of apple juice. He packed it together before gesturing for us to leave.</p><p>I dragged my feet up to my door and let him open the door before shuffling, dumping my late-night meal on my desk. I turned to face him only to bump my face off his chest. He steadied me quickly but left his hands resting on my shoulders, rubbing them softly.</p><p>"Are you ok?" he asked. I nodded and rested my forehead against his chest, sighing heavily before wrapping my arms around him.</p><p>"I would totally ask you to stay but we still need to keep things on the down-low, plus I don't think I can stay awake much longer," I mumbled into his jacket. How he wore the duster in this heat was beyond me. Dimitri tipped his head down and I felt his lips against my ear before pressing a kiss just behind it and giving me a tight hug.</p><p>"You should have stayed in the car," he said quietly and I pulled back, snapping my head up with a glare. The look on his face was calm compared to the daggers I was sending him, and he simply raised an eyebrow.</p><p>"I know that you can handle yourself, but you're still a Novice," he whispered, running his finger along the side of my face. I rolled my eyes and rested my head against his chest, too tired to give a shit.</p><p>"Alright. I'm going to fall asleep standing up. Good night, Comrade."</p><p>"Good night Roza," Dimitri replied, swooping down to give me a kiss on the corner of my mouth. I grimaced slightly because less than two hours ago I had puked, but he didn't really seem to care. He waited until I got situated under the covers before kissing my head and leaving, flicking the light off as he went.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I can't remember the last time I drank alcohol, not to mention the last time I was anywhere near drunk. But I was perfectly buzzed and enjoying it. The last hoorah after passing all of our exams and Aaron threw a rager. I was hesitant to go but with Lissa's pleading, I broke a went. It started with only one drink, and then two, and then five. And it wasn't cheap keggers, it was good liquor. Gin, Tequila, Vodka, Whiskey, and they were all being consumed.</p><p>Lissa was flushed from the drink and it was amusing to see her pale skin with pink rosy cheeks. Christian seemed to be nursing his drink that smelled horrible and Eddie was doing the same. I looked into my cup and frowned, I wasn't even sure what I was drinking anymore but sipped at it anyways. The music was surprisingly loud for it to be happening in secret but I didn't pay much attention to it. It was my last night of freedom before becoming a full-fledge Guardian.</p><p>"So, did you pick where we are going yet?" Lissa slurred perched in Christian's lap. I starred down in my cup and pursed my lips.</p><p>"No. I think I want to go somewhere hot though. Would you be ok with that?"</p><p>Lissa tried to nod her head but her whole body moved too, making her sway slightly as she smiled at me. I smirked back at her and leaned against Christian's shoulder, something I wouldn't be caught dead doing sober, but I need the extra support.</p><p>"What are going to do though? It's going to be hot and you're so pale," I said, my head lulling to rest against Christian's. He started to laugh and gently nudged me but I groaned and pushed back against him. The noise around us stopped for a moment before a loud voice boomed through the room.</p><p>"We are giving you five minutes! Everyone back to your dorms!"</p><p>Ah shit. There was the cavalry. I jumped up from the couch and swayed a little but got my footing and stumbled from the room with Lissa and the boys. We slowly made our way back to Lissa's dorm and deposited her and Christian before Eddie stopped in to check on a buddy of his. I wandered back towards my dorm, trailing my hand against the stone wall of the main campus building, humming tunelessly to myself. The downside right now was that the sun was so bright it practically burned.</p><p>I was starting to feel the last drink I had and I had surpassed buzzed and drove right into drunksville.</p><p>"Rose?"</p><p>I jumped and came to a stop in my place, spinning around slowly expecting to get a strip torn off me for being out and drinking, only to find my confused and extremely sexy boyfriend.</p><p>"DIMITRI!" I squealed as I half ran half stumbled towards him. He put his arms out instantly and caught me, which would have saved me before having scrapped knees in the morning.</p><p>"What are you doing here, Comrade?" I whispered, worried that he was going to be in trouble for being out after curfew.</p><p>"Rose, I'm coming off shift. What are yo- are you drunk?" Dimitri said, his voice becoming stern when he caught a whiff of the alcohol on my breath.</p><p>"Uhhhhhhh. Maybe just a bit," I slurred, holding my thumb and index finger just a mere centimetre apart. Dimitri shook his head looking less than impress before helping me stand up on my two feet on my own before gently pulling me with him.</p><p>"If you get caught, you'll be screwed," Dimitri said pulling me along but my feet couldn't keep up. Eventually, he spun around and tossed me over his shoulder, his arm clamping over my hips and legs as he walked. I playfully smacked his back before dizziness swept in and I stopped, moaning and resting my head against his back instead.</p><p>I resorted to closing my eyes as he walked, the sensation of being upside down and the movement not doing much for my stomach. The click of Dimitri's door opening made me aware that he got to our destination. Dimitri set me down gently on the bed and tugged my shoes off.</p><hr/><p>I opened my eyes to find that I was laying in bed. I blinked and groaned as my head pounded. I reached up and pressed my fist against my eyes, trying to make the pain go away. I tried to roll out of my bed only to have a heavy arm tighten around my waist and I stopped.</p><p>Oh god. Who's arm was around me? Who's bed am I in?! I gingerly took in that I wasn't wearing any clothes aside from my panties and carefully looked behind me to find a mop of brown hair.</p><p>I breathed a sigh of relief when the room became familiar to me and I relaxed back into Dimitri, taking the warmth that his body provided me. I rolled under his arm and curled into his chest, burying my face against him. The movement startled him but when he realized it was just me and pulled me closer to him and kissed my head.</p><p>"How are you feeling, drunky?" Dimitri mumbled and I groaned.</p><p>"Don't talk so loud," I complained. It felt like someone was trying to beat their way out of my skull. Dimitri chuckled a little and rolled onto his back, pulling me with him. I grumbled and wiggled my way on top of him, tucking my cold toes against his legs and rubbing my nose against his neck.</p><p>"How much shit am I in?"</p><p>"Well," Dimitri started, running his fingers through my hair, "If I was still your mentor, you'd be doing laps until you puked. But because I am your loving boyfriend, no punishment beyond what your body is going to dual out for you. What were you drinking, absinthe?"</p><p>"No. You can't get that stuff here. I'm not sure what I was drinking near the end of it," I said, groaning as my stomach rolled. Dimitri rubbed my back and made soothing noises, but it still vibrated inside my skull.</p><p>"I think I'm going to be sick," I moaned.</p><p>Dimitri moved to sit up and tried not to jostle me as much as he could and I sat up in his lap, pressing the balls of my hands against my eyes. God, I'm such a lightweight now. I sat there for a moment before my stomach rolled again and I flung myself out of bed and ran to the bathroom, barely making it.</p><p>I rinsed my mouth out with water and mouth wash before coming to a stop in the doorframe. Dimitri was still in bed, arms folded behind his head as he watched me.</p><p>"See something you like?" I quipped half-heartedly.</p><p>Dimitri smiled, "I see something that I love."</p><p>The phrase made me smile and I crawled back into bed with him.</p><p>"What time is it?"</p><p>"You've only been asleep for a few hours. It's only three."</p><p>"Good. I'm going back to sleep now."</p><p>Dimitri chuckled and kissed my cheek as he pulled me back to his chest. I laid there for a few minutes before snapping my eyes open.</p><p>"Why exactly am I naked?"</p><p>I could feel Dimitri's body shaking in his silent laughter. "Because you puked on yourself."</p><hr/><p>"I am <em>never</em> drinking again," I grumbled as I sat down with Lissa, waiting for my parents to join us. Lissa made a noise of agreement and played with her glass of water, not drinking from it. I rested my hand on the table and closed my eyes. I was thankful that when I woke up again this morning Dimitri was already awake with a fried egg sandwich, a bottle of water and two pills for my head. If I didn't love him already, I definitely loved him then.</p><p>"Do you think your parents are going to know how drunk we were last night?" Lissa whispered. I seriously hoped they didn't, Dad may let it slide but Mom wouldn't. She would be livid that I drank underage. The upside of meeting my parents for breakfast was that it was in guest housing and it was quiet.</p><p>The door creaked open and I lifted my head, which was more difficult than I thought it would be, and saw Mom walk in. I mustered a smile as she sat down, sliding two glasses towards Lissa and me. I looked at the green glasses and sniffed mine, gagging instantly.</p><p>"What is <em>that</em>?"</p><p>"The best hangover cure you'll find. Now drink it before your father comes in, he's still with the feeders."</p><p>The word feeders made both Lissa and I groan and I reached for the cup, eyeballing it before chugging it down. It was thick and chunky but I powered it back, setting the glass down on the table with a small thud. I looked over at Lissa who was grimacing but drank the whole thing down.</p><p>"What was in that?" Lissa asked, whipping her mouth with her napkin.</p><p>Mom chuckled and sat down across from us with a smirk on her face. "Kale, Pineapple, Coconut Water, Bananas, Lemon Juice, Chia seeds, and a little bit of protein powder."</p><p>I grimaced and made a face while looking at the glass. "Alright, lay it on me."</p><p>Mom raised her brow at me as she crossed her arms over her chest, leaning back into her chair. "Rosemarie, I was a teenager once. In all honesty, I expected you to be worse off than the Princess. I remember the parties we threw on our last night as students. I can't expect you to not follow that right of passage."</p><p>I was stunned. Mom seemed like the kind of person who would have laid down the law about drinking, but I was surprised that she didn't.</p><p>"How did you get back to your room? I came to get you earlier but you weren't there. You were drunker than I was last night," Lissa pipped up.</p><p>I looked from Lissa to Mom and then back to Lissa, trying to formulate how exactly I got back to my room without saying that I didn't get back to my room.</p><p>"Uhh."</p><p>Mom raised her brows, giving me an indulgent look that made my stomach churn and Lissa looked at me with confusion.</p><p>"There are, my girls," Dad exclaimed as he walked in and sat down next to Mom. Saved by the bell! I sighed quietly in relief as Dad swept all of my late-night whereabouts and started a loud conversation about prom. I nodded along and gave the appropriate responses but I really wasn't feeling the conversation yet. I needed food and possibly a pot of coffee to get through the morning.</p><hr/><p>Lissa squealed as she pulled the black garment bags out of the closet. I shook my head as I laid back on the bed and groaned. The next three hours were going to be long as she did her magic on my hair.</p><p>"I am so excited for tonight! It's going to be so much fun!" Lissa exclaimed and she hung the bags on the back of the doors, unzipping the bags and pulling them out. I chuckled and rolled my head to the size only to shoot up. That was my dress! But not the dress that I purchased!</p><p>"Uh, Lissa? What is that?!" I exclaimed launching off the bed and coming to a standstill beside her. There in the black garment back was the beaded dress that I had fallen in love with at the mall. I shook my head in confusion.</p><p>"Please tell me that you didn't buy my dress," I said pointing at it, but Lissa smiled and shook her head.</p><p>"No, I didn't buy the dress."</p><p>"Dimitri didn't, did he?"</p><p>Lissa laughed, "No. Your father did."</p><p>I furrowed my brows and tried to figure out exactly how he did that. He didn't come with us. Lissa wrapped her arms around my shoulder and rested her head against mine.</p><p>"When we were leaving your dad pulled Dimitri aside and gave him a credit card. He told him that if you found something you were in love with to buy it for you. He figured that you didn't want your parents coming so figured Dimitri would do it without you noticing. Or that you would let him buy it for you."</p><p>I didn't really know what to say. I wasn't used to this kind of thing, for someone to be there to buy things for me. Sure Lissa did it from time to time and while we were on the run, but I couldn't remember the last time my parents bought me anything. But it made sense now why Dimitri took my dress and my wallet, ad why there was so much money left.</p><p>"Rose? You okay?"</p><p>I nodded my head and wrapped my arms around her waist. "Yeah, just stunned."</p><p>Lissa chuckled under her breath before pulling me towards the chair in front of her vanity, picking up a brush and wagged her brows at me. Oh boy, here we go.</p><p>She straightened my hair to precision, spraying stuff on it to keep it smooth and shiny as she worked the flatiron. She seemed to know exactly what to do without my input so I let her do it. I was slightly mesmerized watching her. She smirked at me in the reflection as she pulled my hair back into a twist, pulling a few pieces out to frame my face.</p><p>"Hold this," she instructed as she handed me jewelled pins. I held my hand up and did as she asked, smirking at her as she pinned my hair. I put my hand down as she started to curl the pieces she left out. The moment she finished that she started on my make up. I warned her that I didn't want anything crazy for makeup and the only response I got with a grunt and a nod.</p><p>I closed my eyes and let her do what she wanted and thought about how much I started to look forward to Prom. Sure I wasn't going with Dimitri, but Eddie was right. Going with him would be fun and I wouldn't have to worry about unwanted advances at the end of the night. Plus I knew Eddie was a good dancer and wouldn't stomp on my toes all night!</p><p>Lissa tapped my shoulder and told me to open my eyes. I did and was happily surprised. The makeup was elegant and beautiful, but simple. The shade of eyeshadow matched my dress and made my eyes pop, with a slight shimmer of gold to highlight them. The eyeliner was minimal but made my lashes look long.</p><p>"You are an artist," I said with a smile. Lissa beamed and moved to start on her hair while I got dressed. She seemed to get herself ready faster than she got me ready and slipped into her dress with ease. I turned to let her zip the last of my dress and leaned down to tie up my shoes.</p><p>"You look beautiful, Liss."</p><p>"Thank you, you look amazing yourself. I wish I could fill out a mermaid style dress like you do," she said as she fastened her earrings. I didn't go crazy with the jewelry and went with Dimitri's cross instead. If anyone asked, I could always pass it off that it belonged to the Dragomir's or my parents.</p><p>Lissa eyed it for a few seconds before smirking and slipped her shoes on. I waited for her patiently at the door before opening it. We had agreed to meet Christian and Eddie in the lobby and headed down arm in arm. When we got down there was a lot of people mingling around with their dates, but I easily zoned in on Christian and Eddie.</p><p>I stirred Lissa over and I watched Christian's face light up as he saw her. It was sweet that he loved her so much and as much as I hated him in the beginning, but now I couldn't be happier that Lissa found someone who loved her as much as I did. Eddie smiled too and gave me a hug.</p><p>"You look stunning," Eddie said as he pulled away. I rolled my eyes but thanked him. Christian handed Eddie a box and I remember Lissa's comment about the corsages. I dutifully stuck my hand out and let Eddie put it on for me.</p><p>"You know Christian, I think we have the best looking dates," Eddie said as he bumped Christian's shoulder. Christian rolled his eyes and muttered a comment under his breath before looking at me.</p><p>"I guess Rosie looks ok," he said with a shrug.</p><p>Hey, I'll take it. It's the nicest thing he's said to me this week. The lobby started to get crowded so we heading towards the banquet hall. Due to the irritation of sunlight against Moroi skin, the student committee that did all the work for prom voted that it happened during our day. But it worked out better for the theme they choose. They went with the whole enchanted forest theme so lots of trees with the help of the earth wilding students and staff and twinkly lights and such. It was over the top and a part of me wanted to gag at it, but looking over at the look of awe on Lissa's face made it worth it. She was happy and that's what was important to me at that moment.</p><p>Eddie lead me towards a table and I gratefully sunk down into a chair. It gave me a moment to observe everyone in the room. My dress may have been simple, but it was nicer than what some of the royals were wearing. If I was being honest, they looked fake and tacky with their fake tans and exuberant dresses.</p><p>"It's almost over, " Eddie mused next to me.</p><p>I snorted a laugh, "We just got here."</p><p>"No, I meant school."</p><p>I sat back in the chair and nodded in agreeance. It was almost over. This place was my home – I grew here. It was the only parent I really had until recently. I had memories here even if I didn't like most of them. This place would mean something to me after I left. I watched Lissa mingle around with Christian in tow, he looked slightly bored but anytime Lissa turned to look at him he put a smile on his face.</p><p>It wasn't long until the food was served and Lissa came to sit with us, all smiles and giggles. I laughed at her as she sat down and we tucked into our food. I was a little more careful because of the dress and I noticed a group of male royals glancing over at our table.</p><p>"I wonder why they keep looking over here," Lissa stated as she finished her me. Eddie and I polished off ours far faster than the Moroi at our table, and I eyeballed the last few bites of Lissa's mashed potatoes. Eddie's laughter pulled me away from the potatoes.</p><p>"They're looking at you and Rose, Lissa. You two look fantastic, why wouldn't they stare?"</p><p>I playfully pushed him, "Oh stop. Flattery will get you nowhere, Castile."</p><p>Christian shrugged and made a noise of agreeance. "But he is kind of right. I mean, look at how over the top some people went for this. Sometimes less is better."</p><p>"Wow," I said as I raised my hand to my chest, "Two compliments in one night. Did Lissa drug you this morning?"</p><p>Christian rolled his eyes at me while smiling, "Knock it off, porky. Don't act like I didn't just see you eyeballing Lissa's leftover food."</p><p>I shook my head while laughing, we may be at each other's throats but I did enjoy our banter to an extent. He got me on a level that Lissa didn't, and he used sarcasm to communicate with me. Sure sometimes he could be crude and a bit of an asshole, but I was grateful for those qualities at the same time.</p><p>I took my napkin off my lap and placed it on the table, "I'm going to get a drink. I'll be right back," I said before heading towards the long table. As cliché as punch at prom was, it was really good and nobody had managed to spike it yet.</p><p>"Hathaway, you look hot."</p><p>I set the ladle back into the bowl and rolled my eyes, lifting my glass to my lips as I turned away from the table. Maybe I'd be lucky to get back to the table before being accosted by Jesse. But no such luck, he stepped into my path as I tried to step around him.</p><p>"You know, this may be the last time we see each other for a while," Jesse began but I quickly cut him off.</p><p>"Thank God for that," I replied and stepped around him again.</p><p>"Oh c'mon Hathaway, don't be a frigid bitch."</p><p>I stopped in my tracks and my eyes widened. A frigid bitch? I spun around and opened my mouth to snap at him, but someone beat me to it.</p><p>"I believed I warned you about being near Ms. Hathaway, Mr. Zeklos."</p><p>I smirked as I watched Jesse's eye widen before he scurried away. I looked up and smiled at Dimitri before taking in his appearance. I had never seen Dimitri in dress clothes aside from his formal Guardian wear, but this was a sight to behold. Dimitri had his hair tied back at the nape as usual but he was dressed in charcoal grey dress pants and a deep blue dress shirt. He didn't have a tie on but left the top two buttons undone.</p><p>"You look good, Comrade," I said as I took him in completely. He looked better than good, he looked hot, hotter than he usually does.</p><p>"Thank you, you look beautiful, Rose."</p><p>
  <em>Wow, he is totally checking you out, Rose!</em>
</p><p>I snickered at Lissa's voice in my head as I turned to look at her from across the room. She smiled at me and raised a brow as if to say <em>tell me I'm wrong.</em> Dimitri raised a brow at me as I turned back to face him, but waived him off.</p><p>"Can I steal you for a moment?" Dimitri asked quietly. I nodded and turned to grab Eddie's attention. I gestured my head towards Dimitri and Eddie gave a sharp nod of understanding with a smile. I turned my attention back to Dimitri as he guided us out of the main hall and out to the back garden. The breeze was nice against my skin and I enjoyed the closeness between Dimitri and me. He was quiet but we came to a stop in the middle of the gardens where the gazebo was lit up with lights.</p><p>"What are we doing all the way out here?"</p><p>Dimitri smiled at me and pulled me into the gazebo, coming to a stop in the center of it. He placed a hand on my waist and pulled me towards him, dipping his head down to rest against mine.</p><p>"I'm going to dance with my favourite person in the world."</p><p>I reached up and rested a hand on his shoulder while sliding my other hand into his.</p><p>"I didn't know you were the dancing type," I said softly as I moulded against him. Dimitri smiled again as his hand came to rest in the small of my back, his hand warm against my skin. While the music was faint all the way out here, we could still just hear it as we danced slowly. It was similar to a waltz, but not much turning and much closer than normal. It was sweet and slow, but I felt like we were in our own little bubble.</p><p>"You look stunning in this dress," Dimitri said as he kissed my cheek. I blushed a little and turned my face to catch his lips. He didn't hesitate and deepened the kiss, his fingers tracing along my spine as they travelled upwards.</p><p>"Better or worse than the last one?" I quipped when he pulled away from me. He laughed and kissed my nose.</p><p>"Both. Definitely both."</p><p>I giggled and dipped my head to rest on his shoulder. I could feel his face against the side of my head as we continued to dance. It was nice until a cough interrupted us. My head shot up out of fear and I turned to see Eddie standing a few feet away. I breathed a sigh of relief.</p><p>"Sorry, but it looked like some people were heading this way," Eddie apologized with a small shrug. I nodded and turned back to give Dimitri a quick kiss and headed towards Eddie. Eddie nodded at Dimitri before walking back with me to the banquet hall.</p><p>"Surprised?"</p><p>"I'm surprised that he dances," I joked as we walked back in. Eddie chuckled and wrapped his arm around my shoulders.</p><p>"I did promise him that i'd let him have a dance. After all, he is your <em>boyfriend</em>," Eddie said. I snorted and rolled my eyes at him. But i was greatful for the few minutes alone I got with DImitri. I spotted Lissa and Christian quickly and Eddie suggested we join them. The music was more upbeat and the dance moves Lissa was executing had me doubled over laughing. She may be a princess, but when she wants to be, she just as much a regular girl as I am.</p><p>Eventually, Lissa and I both kicked our shoes off and sat down at the table again, leaning against one another with our heads resting together.</p><p>"Did you think we'd be back here?" Lissa asked. I yawned and cleared my throat.</p><p>"No, I never thought we would be coming back to the academy. I never thought we'd be going to prom either."</p><p>Lissa chuckles and runs her fingers through her hair. She was quiet for a few moments before blowing out a puff of hair. The even was starting to come to an end and I let my eyes wander around the room before coming to rest on Dimitri standing at the end of the hall, speaking to a dark haired woman in a very pretty silver dress.</p><p>"Did you know Tasha was chaperoning?"</p><p>"Yes," Lissa said, "Why do you think Christian and I are still here? We couldn't sneak off until it was a respectable time or she'd ask questions."</p><p>I snorted a laugh. She wasn't wrong there, but I appreciated her staying as long as she did. Despite not thinking I was going to enjoy myself, I had a lot of fun. I noticed Dimitri stepping away from Tasha and heading towards us. I smiled at him and reached up to play with the chain around my neck. I noticed earlier that Dimitri's eyes went right to it and I was happy to see the flicker of happiness in his eyes when he saw it. A small, private token of his affection.</p><p>"Are you heading out soon?" Dimitri asked us. Lissa and I both nodded as Christian and Eddie appeared. We both stood up and smiled at our respective dates.</p><p>"Yes, I believe we are," I said. Dimitri nodded and put his arm up to let us go first. Lissa and Christian walked a few steps ahead while Eddie, Dimitri and I walked a few steps behind. We stopped at Lissa's room first before heading towards the Novice dorms. I wasn't surprised that Christian was staying the night with her, but I was a little jealous. If I could stay with Dimitri tonight I would.</p><p>Eddie's room was before mine so we went there first. Eddie gave me a tight hug before saying goodnight and Dimitri and I headed to my dorm.</p><p>"Did you have fun tonight?" Dimitri asked.</p><p>I nodded my head while smiling at him. "Yes, I did. It was fun and I had a good time with Eddie. And I really enjoyed being able to dance with you," I said quietly as I reached the end of my sentence. I really did enjoy dancing with him. Dimitri used his key and unlocked my door, letting me in before following.</p><p>I pursed my lips when he locked the door behind him, but the pursed look split into a smirk as he stepped closer to me, slipping his hands around my waist. I stretched up on my toes and looped my arms around his neck to balance myself.</p><p>He didn't kiss me right away, just rested his head against mine as he bowed me back before pulling us up straight.</p><p>"Only a few more days," he whispered. I could hear the relief and happiness in his voice and it made my heart flutter. But the idea of the next few days made a question rise to my lips.</p><p>"If Lissa and I are going on a trip right after graduation, who will be guarding Lissa? I know you said that you were getting a new allocation, but it hadn't been settled yet."</p><p>Dimitri kissed both my cheeks before kissing my forehead. "I am. I told them that I would be Lissa's Guardian until my reallocation was finalized. Three weeks guarding my girl and her best friend seem alright to me."</p><p>I rolled my eyes, "You aren't guarding me."</p><p>He shrugged and finally kissed me softly. "If I'm guarding Lissa, I'm guarding you. You're on vacation too."</p><p>I sighed and rolled my eyes at him again, letting him believe that before pulling him back down to me. While our kisses in the gazebo were sweet and soft, these weren't. These were hungry and passionate. The thought of being free to do whatever we wanted still loomed over us, but our bodies had other ideas. While my fingers worked on his shirt, his worked on the silk ties at my back. The moment the dress was loose he slipped the straps down my shoulders and I pushed his shirt from his. I wiggled my way out of my dress and he lifted me up before setting me on the dresser.</p><p>Screw waiting. I was tired of waiting.</p><p>I slipped my fingers into his belt loops and tugged him closer, wrapping my legs around his hips. The low growl that left his lips as his hands drifted up from my waist to my breast excited me and I arched my body into his hands. I let go of his pants and unhooked a leg, fumbling with the buckle on my heel but Dimitri's hand came down and hooked my leg back around him.</p><p>"Leave them on," he said between kisses. I shrugged internally and twisted my hands into his hair instead, snapping the hair tie that kept it in place. I could feel my body heating up where he touched me and I moaned into his mouth as he pushed his thickening length against my core. I ran my fingers over his scalp while one hand trailed down his chest to the button of his dress pants.</p><p>I felt a tickling at the back of my mind but the smell and feel of Dimitri clouded it. That was until I heard the click in the lock slide and the door swung open. I pulled my lips from Dimitri's and we both looked to the door, only to find Lissa standing there with her mouth open.</p><p>The three of us stood frozen and I could hear the cogs in Lissa's head turning before she blushed and turned, closing the door behind her. It must have been quite a sight for her to be frank. She just walked in on her best friend practically naked with her shirtless mentor and her Guardian. Not to mention that his hands were groping my chest. I looked up at Dimitri and felt a twinge of panic because I could feel what Lissa was feeling.</p><p>And it was betrayal.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>I slammed the door shut and rested against it, heaving a heavy sight. What the hell did I just witness?!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Babe? You okay? I thought you were bringing Rose her sneakers."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I looked over at Christian sprawled over on the bed, his hands folded behind his head, shirt unbuttoned and shoes and socks off. It was something I could get used to seeing. I nodded my head and cleared my throat before dropping the shoes to the floor beside me.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yeah. Everything is fine. She wasn't in her dorm yet," I said, running my hand through my hair. I didn't even know what to think about what I just saw. I knew Rose had a crush on Guardian Belikov, but I didn't think he reciprocated the feelings. Hell, I wasn't sure he was the dating type. But what I saw wasn't dating, and it was clear by their body language that that wasn't the first time that had done that!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'm gonna take a shower," I mumbled and grabbed some of my things before heading into the bathroom, shutting the door tight behind me. I turned on the water and rested my hands against the sink, looking at myself in the reflection. When did that start? And is it just casual or what?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I just wanted to scream WHAT THE FUCK ROSE?!</em>
</p><p>"Rose!"</p><p>The slight jolt snapped me out of Lissa's head and I looked up to see Dimitri staring down at me, his hands wrapped around my arms.</p><p>"Sorry, I got sucked into Lissa's head."</p><p>Dimitri nodded his head and shifted my weight, not expecting for the surface below me to shift too. I gripped Dimitri's arms before realizing that he had moved me from the dresser to my bed, pulling the shirt he gifted me over my head.</p><p>"She's a little upset," I sighed, flopping onto my back. I brought my hands up and covered my face and groaned. This was fifty levels of fucked.</p><p>"Do you think that she'd-"</p><p>"No," I said, lifting my hands up to look at him. "She won't say anything. She knew that I had a crush on you. She's just feeling a little betrayed and shocked. I mean, if you were in her shoes how would you feel?"</p><p>I saw his face relax a little more before he picked up his shirt and slipped it back on.</p><p>"Please don't go," I murmured, sitting up to reach out to him. He gave me a sad smile and crouched so he was closer to my height.</p><p>"I don't think that will be a good idea," he replied, tucking a curl behind my ear. I finally got a dose of him and I was losing it already.</p><p>"Please!"</p><p>Dimitri looked like he was stuck in a hard place before I added, "Only you and Lissa have keys to my room."</p><p>He sighed and pulled the shirt back off before unbuckling his belt and pulling it out of the loops.</p><p>"Just sleeping."</p><p>I nodded my head happily and reached up to start pulling the pins out. It seemed like I was taking too long and Dimitri gently moved my hands out of the way, pulling them out and setting them on the nightstand before running his fingers against my scalp. I tilted my head back and closed my eyes as he massaged my scalp.</p><p>"You're really good at that."</p><p>Dimitri chuckled, "I've had practice."</p><p>I knitted my brows together and turned my head a bit, making him laugh harder. "Mama used to like it if we played with her hair before bed. We thought she had us do it because we thought it was fun, but really, she suffered from headaches and it helped a bit. I used to do it for her when she had particularly bad ones," he said. I tried to picture a lanky teenaged Dimitri sitting beside his mother on the couch, massaging her head, but I couldn't. It was hard to imagine him as anything but what he is now.</p><p>"I'm going to fall asleep," I mumbled. He didn't say anything before pulling his hands away and kissing my cheek.</p><p>"Wash that makeup off first. It looks pretty, but I like your natural skin."</p><p>I snickered and got up to get the makeup wipes and cleaned myself off, careful not to poke myself in the eyes while wiping underneath it. Within moments I was done and crawled into bed, sandwiching myself between him and the wall. I was looking forward to being able to do this all the time, sleeping in his arms. I knew that it was unrealistic for me to think it would happen all the time, but a girl could dream, right?</p><p>"Are you excited for Bora Bora?" I asked as I traced my fingers over his chest. Dimitri smiled and flexed his pectoral muscles, making me giggle.</p><p>"I am a little, despite that I'll be working for most of it."</p><p>I rolled my eyes and rubbed the tip of my nose against his. "Hey, you get the evenings off, and I promise you will have time to see stuff too."</p><p>He didn't respond but ran his fingers over my back as I rested my head against his chest, breathing in his distinct smell as it lulled me to sleep.</p><hr/><p>I made my way to the cafeteria in my black and white graduation clothes. It was customary for graduating Novices to wear them before the ceremony. I let my eyes scan the room while I looked for Lissa. I could feel her, but I couldn't see her.</p><p>I took a step into the room only to be dragged out to the hall again. I was shocked when I realized that it was Lissa and she dragged me towards the girl's bathroom. She pulled me in and looked under the stalls before locking the door and facing me. I waited for her to let me have it as she paced in front of the sinks, her arms crossed across her chest while her skirt floated behind her. She stopped a few times and opened her mouth, but closed it again before starting her pacing.</p><p>"Lissa."</p><p>She stopped and shook her head, huffing. "What the fuck, Rose?! What the hell did I walk in on last night?!"</p><p>"It's not what it looks like," I began but she cut me off.</p><p>"Oh it's not what it looks like?! Rose, you were naked and his hands were on your boobs. And it was really clear that you not only liked it, but it wasn't something new for the two of you. I don't know if I should smack him or you!"</p><p>I puffed my hair out of my face and leaned against the wall. I deserved the verbal lashing; I didn't tell her anything and she had to witness it all first hand. It must have been just as awkward for her as it was for us.</p><p>"Well?!" Lissa shrilled. I sagged against the wall a little before replying.</p><p>"I was going to tell you on our trip," I said uselessly. Lissa raised her perfectly plucked brows at me and waited for me to elaborate.</p><p>"I don't really know how to explain it. It didn't start until the night of the attack," I started but she cut me off again.</p><p>"What started?"</p><p>"If you stop interrupting, I'll tell you."</p><p>Lissa sighed and leaned against the counter, crossing her arms over her chest and her ankles.</p><p>"We kind of started dating after the rescue mission. I'm in love with him, Lissa. It's not just some crush and he feels the same way. We are planning on coming out as a couple after our trip and he has put in a request for reallocation. What you saw last night was us slipping up," I explained, mimicking her position against the wall.</p><p>Lissa scrutinized me for a few more minutes before a smirk crossed her face.</p><p>"Have you had sex with him?"</p><p>I could feel my face flushing and I tried to suppress my smirk and looked away. It was enough of an answer and she squealed, pouncing on the gossip opportunity. She instantly asked for the details and I kept it pretty PG13, considering what she's already seen. I mean, it only happened once. Eventually our conversation ended when the door rattled as someone tried to get in. Lissa made a face that screamed the conversation was going to continue and we headed out of the bathroom to grab our breakfast. I scanned the room and smiled as I observed my classmates sitting with their families. I spotted Eddie with his mom and my parents with Tasha and Christian. I stirred Lissa towards them and slipped into a vacant spot.</p><p>I smiled at Dad as he leaned over and kissed the side of my head and Mom gave me a happy smile. Eddie's Mom was so happy to see me and reached over the table to hug me while Mom gave Lissa a congratulatory hug.</p><p>"Your father was just telling me some spectacular stories about you," Eddie's mom said with a fond smile. I rolled my eyes and sipped my orange juice, catching Lissa's eye over my glass.</p><p>"I'm sure he did."</p><hr/><p>This was a moment I didn't think I would experience, having a group of people cheering for me as I walked across the stage to collect my diploma. Nine months ago I would have laughed if you said my mom was going to be here, but she was. I had a father here too and his Guardian who was just as attached to me as my parents were. I had a family. I had Lissa clapping from her spot in the wave of the students, Eddie whooping loudly and Christian clapping as well.</p><p>Alberta smiled as she shook my hand and handed me my diploma and Kirova looked less hateful than normal. Maybe it was because she was finally getting rid of me? I smiled at Alberta when she stepped aside for me to walk past her and Dimitri greeted me. As a custom, any Novice who had a mentor was presented her stakes by them instead of the Head Guardian. Dimitri was uncharacteristically happy as he handed me the familiar box and pulled me into a quick hug. I was startled that he did it in front of the whole school, but I returned it quickly and pulled away.</p><p>I joined my classmates and clapped along as the last of them crossed the stage, giving extra enthusiasm as Christian crossed the stage. He needed extra support today.</p><p>As soon as the ceremony was finished, I made my way over to my friends. The first one I found was Lissa and I wrapped my arms around her, squealing just as excitedly as she did. We did it - I did it! Lissa had a few tears in her eyes when she pulled me into a hug and I could pretend all I wanted that I didn't have any either, but it would be a pathetic lie. I sniffed and pulled away, wiping the back of my hands over my cheeks to clear them away.</p><p>I just made it out of Lissa's grasp before I was swallowed up in a hug by Eddie. His laugh was pure and I was relieved to hear it for the first time since Mason's death. There was mention of Mason at the beginning of the Dhampir ceremony and there was a moment of silence to which Eddie turned his head to look at me in the row behind. The room full of people didn't stop me from reaching my hand over and squeezing his before the reading of diploma's started.</p><p>"He'd be proud of us," I said to him. He nodded and gave me a tight squeeze. He didn't need to say anything but I knew he agreed with me. Mason would have been proud and if he had been standing here with us today it would have been even better.</p><p>Our families descended on us and I was quickly preoccupied with them. Mom was red-eyed and Dad was loud, boasting about how proud he was of his girls, tucking me under his arm while pulling Lissa in as well. I was thankful that he considered her family as well, especially when she didn't have any.</p><p>"Can I see them?" Mom asked, pointing to my stakes. I nodded and pulled one out and handed it to her. She looked over it with a neutral gaze before her eyes landed on the inscription. She furrowed her brows and looked up at me and then to Dad and then back to me.</p><p>"Do you know what this says?"</p><p>I nodded my head and she raised her brows again before handing it back to me. I wasn't sure what to make of her reaction, but she didn't seem angry. Could she even read Russian?</p><hr/><p>I sat down in the grass and wrapped my hands around my bare legs. It wasn't often I wore shorts these days but given that I was leaving in a few hours, I felt that it was appropriate that I spent a few minutes here. God knows how long it'll be until I get to be here again. The tombstone was the same as the others who were buried here, but this one was amongst the newest.</p><p>I set a few wildflowers I found on my way here on top of the stone and brushed my fingers over the grooves of his names. It felt strange being here. It brought closure to most people but being here was a stark reminder that my childhood best friend was dead. I was never going to get to see his curly hair or his cheeky grin. The thing I missed the most was the twinkle of mischief he got when he had a prank forming and wanted me to be in on it.</p><p>I could hear footsteps approaching me and I looked up as Eddie folded himself down in the grass with me. I gave him a flat smile and rested my head against his shoulder, heaving a sigh.</p><p>"It feels weird leaving without him," Eddie said. I nodded my head and bit my lip. It did feel weird, it felt like I was leaving a small piece of who I was behind here. But Eddie understood that because a piece of him was being left behind too.</p><p>"Promise me something?"</p><p>"What?" I said, looking up at him.</p><p>"No matter what our allocations are, promise that we will always keep in touch?"</p><p>"I promise."</p><p>Eddie nodded and rested his head on top of mine, watching the sunrise over the hills with me.</p><hr/><p>I was bouncing on my feet as I waited to be handed my allocation package. Get this bad boy and head off to the nice, hot, heat of Bora Bora! I watched Eddie be handed his and he tucked it under his arm with a neutral expression. I forced myself to be still as the Guardian handed me my allocation envelope. I nodded and tucked it under my arm while I waited for the rest of the Novices to be presented theirs.</p><p>We were dismissed and Eddie and I headed out, meeting Lissa and Christian outside while Dimitri kept his distance. I could feel Lissa's excitement through the bond and I excitedly tore open the envelope and pulled it out at the same time as Eddie.</p><p>"Ready?" I asked. He nodded and we both unfolded our letters. My breath caught in my throat as I read the three words on my letter. I felt like my heart was going to fall out of my ass.</p><p>"What is it?" Christian asked and I looked up to see Eddie looking at me, his face slightly pinched.</p><p>"I got Lissa," he said, handing the letter to her. She pulled it from his hands and looked at it before looking at me. "</p><p>Are you two partners? That'll be amazing!" Lissa exclaimed.</p><p>I felt disappointed, hell I felt like the only reason I was looking forward to becoming a Guardian had been taken away from me.I shook my head and handed my paper to her, blinking to keep the tears burning at the back of my eyes from falling. I could hear the words echo through her mind.</p><p>
  <em>Rosemarie Hathaway: Unallocated.</em>
</p><p>Lissa made a noise in the back of her throat and I raised my eyes to Dimitri, who had a confused look on his face as well. He stepped forwards and read over Lissa's shoulder. He gave me a sympathetic look.</p><p>"I can't see why you didn't allocate you. You have monija, zvezda, and a promise mark along with being top of your combat class. Why don't we see if we can get this sorted out?"</p><p>I nodded and sniffed. I was trying desperately not to lose my composure right now. Lissa stayed with Eddie and Christian while Dimitri and I headed to Guardian Headquarters. It felt different being in here even though I had just been here ten minutes prior. Maybe because all the excitement of allocation was gone? We got to the front desk and Dimitri spoke to the man there, explaining there was an error with my allocation documents. The Guardian behind the desk seemed impassive when he asked for my name. I barely managed to get it out and his eyebrows rose.</p><p>"You're saying you weren't allocated? We've heard about you here in Court. There must have been a clerical error."</p><p>I listened to the clacking of his keyboard as he pulled up my information file. He hummed and stretched his neck out as he read the screen.</p><p>"It says here that there was a request for you to be unallocated, Guardian Hathaway Jr. It's dated May 15, 2020. I take it that you did not request this," the guardian said.</p><p>I shook my head. "Am I the only one who could put in that request?"</p><p>"No," the Guardian said. "Sometimes, parents can put in requests to unallocate to keep their children close to Court. The problem is that because you're a new graduate, there isn't much for you to do here aside from Ward line duties or clerical work."</p><p>Oh no. A parent could request for unallocations?!</p><p>"Son of a-" I exclaimed before tearing out of the building. I could hear Dimitri thank the guardian and jog to catch up with me. I could feel my blood boiling as I reached the house I was looking for and I didn't bother to knock before entering.</p><p>The guardian inside was surprised and his hand flew to his stake on instinct before he registered it was me. But I paid no attention as I hollered through the house, coming out to the living room. Judging by the look on his face and on Mom's, they were waiting for this reaction. Mom looked unimpressed at Dad while he had a calm expression.</p><p>"You requested I be unallocated?!" I exclaimed, feeling angrier the longer I stood in one spot. Dad set his coffee cup down on the table and laced his fingers in his lap, looking as though he didn't have an irate daughter in front of him, but instead like he was having a casual conversation.</p><p>"I did."</p><p>"Did you know about this?" I snapped at Mom and she had the decency to look guilty. She nodded and I chuckled humourlessly.</p><p>"So all that sunshine you blew up my ass about being an amazing Guardian to Lissa you told me at graduation was what? False praise?!"</p><p>I opened my mouth to yell again but the angry tears slipped through and I was unable to stop them now. I swatted at my face as I stumbled through every argument on why that was a stupid idea, but Dad held up a hand to cut me off.</p><p>"I didn't request it to be an intrusive parent, Rosemarie. I did it because until you've learned to manage your abilities it is unsafe for you to be a guardian to anyone. I know you love Lissa and I know that if you were to accidentally hurt her, it would kill you. I pulled strings to give her the best guardians possible and when the time comes, you can join the team as well. And for the record, your mother wasn't too fond of this idea."</p><p>I sucked in a deep breath and rubbed at my face again. "Who?"</p><p>"Your friend Eddison and Belikov."</p><p>"That's not possible. Dimitri put in a request for reallocation in March."</p><p>Dad rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'm well aware that your boyfriend put in a request, but I also know that he is one of the only people you'll trust to take care of Lissa. Besides, it's not like it will be any different than it is now. When the time comes, Belikov can have the reallocation approved."</p><p>My mouth snapped open. "What did you just say?"</p><p>It was Mom's turn to react. "Oh Rosemarie, we've known all along that you two have been together. It was very clear after the attack. Although, I'm not completely impressed that you felt dating my daughter was appropriate," Mom said, raising her head to address Dimitri behind me. I didn't even hear him come in.</p><p>I turned to look at him but he had a blank expression on his face. Damn it! I wanted to see if his reaction was as bad as mine. I looked back at my parents and shuffled on my feet before Dad stood up and kissed the side of my head.</p><p>"Go make sure all your things are packed. You leave in a few hours."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dimitri walked beside me quietly as I fumed. I didn't want to go on this trip anymore. I knew I sounded like an ungrateful child, but I felt slighted. I had worked so hard for this only to run into yet another wall. I know deep, deep, <em>deep</em> down that Dad meant well, but I was still pissed. And hurt.</p><p>Dimitri seemed to understand that trying to comfort me physically may result in him getting slapped, so he stayed silent and just walked with me. I got to my allocated room, which I'll probably lose now due to be unallocated, and kicked the suitcase closest to me. Bad idea, if hurt like a bitch! I hopped on one foot and grabbed the injured one, moaning and groaning with a few curses. Dimitri walked by and sat on the bed, leaning forward on his elbows and watching me like one would watch a cartoon.</p><p>"That was smart," he stated. I looked up at him with daggers before toeing off my shoes and flinging myself onto the bed beside him face down. I'd rather shed the remainder of my tears alone, but if he was going to stay, I could just do it into the quilt. And I did, I let the hot tears slip from my eyes into the fabric. I tried to keep my breathing steady not to alert him to my distress, but this was Dimitri. He knew my distress before I did. I felt him lay down beside me and he put his hand on my lower back as my shoulders started to shake.</p><p>In moments like this, I was glad that Dimitri knew me as well as he did. He knew he didn't need to give words right now, that being there would be enough. Just that small speck of contact was the support I needed until I reached out to him. I laid that for a few minutes letting out my tears before sighing and rolling onto my side to face him. It didn't matter if my eyes were red and puffy and my nose was red too. He didn't care about that and I couldn't care less either. I wiggled closer and snuggled against him, breathing unevenly and closed my eyes.</p><p>"Feel a little better?"</p><p>"Yeah."</p><p>Dimitri wrapped his arm around me and rested his head on top of mine. I wiggled a bit to look up at him.</p><p>"I'm sorry for acting like a brat."</p><p>Dimitri shook his head, "You didn't. You were blindsided. I didn't know my allocation had been rejected until your father said so. I wasn't supposed to find out until we got back."</p><p>"I just…this is the first day we've been at Court and we don't have to hide anything. And here I am, having a fit."</p><p>Dimitri sighed and sat up. "It's ok, Roza. You're allowed to be upset. If I were in your position I would be too."</p><p>I sighed and sat up, rubbing my raw cheeks. Dimitri gave me a tender look before cupping my cheeks and kissing my nose.</p><p>"Speaking of being about to be out in public," he said kissing the corner of my mouth. I snorted a laugh and turned my head, giving him a kiss that I had desperately wanted this morning. It was short but it was lifting.</p><p>"Alright, make sure you have everything packed," he said pecking me on the lips before pulling me off the bed. I rolled my eyes and pulled over one of the suitcases and started pulling stuff from boxes, packing it in. Well, I tossed them in and Dimitri took them out and repacked them.</p><p>I gave him a saucy look as I zipped the lingerie set he pick out into the garment back and he returned the look. But the look changed to astonishment at the next thing I tucked in.</p><p>"What the hell is that?!"</p><p>I raised my brows at him as I tossed another one in. "Um. It's a bikini? You have three sisters, have you never seen one before?"</p><p>"I've seen bathing suits before, <em>that</em>," he said picking up the red bikini bottoms, "Is scraps of fabric."</p><p>I rolled my eyes and pulled it from his fingers. "Grow up, Comrade. I plan on wearing these and less on my trip," I joked, flinging the fabric at his face. He caught it and gave me a playful look before tucking it into the pouch. I wandered around the bed and slipped my arms around his waist, letting my hands rest over the belt buckle on his pants.</p><p>"I promise you'll enjoy <em>every </em>moment of it," I whispered letting my hand slip lower. Dimitri made a small noise and rocked his hips against my hand. I pulled away and gave him a cheeky smirk as I continued packing. "We got to hurry, Comrade, we have a plane to catch!"</p><hr/><p>"No, no, I need way more details than that Rose. You've seen him, right?" Lissa exclaimed as she sipped on her fruity cocktail and adjusted her floppy hat. I snickered into my own class and flopped onto my stomach.</p><p>"What else could you possibly want Lissa? It was only one time!"</p><p>"You can't possibly say that you haven't done it since we got here! I mean, I can feel the sexual tension between you two!"</p><p>I grumbled and finished the rest of my drink, setting the empty glass on the planks below me. We'd been here a week and with Guardian schedules and switching to human time, Dimitri and I never had more than a few moments alone together. Plus, it was a little awkward having my 'coworkers' around. It was one thing for Lissa and Eddie to know, it was another thing for Guardian Jensen along with Guardian Howes to witness it. They weren't much older than Dimitri and appointed by Court to accompany Lissa here. The other Guardians were provided by Dad's private team. Jensen seemed alright, but Howes always gave me an odd feeling.</p><p>"That's a shame. I mean, if Christian were here…"</p><p>"Oh like that would stop you," I said adjusting my bathing suit bottoms to prevent odd tan lines, "You two fuck like bunnies all the time."</p><p>"Hey! Just think how much sex the two of you will be having once you start," Lissa snickered as she sipped her drink again. I shook my head and waved to one of the waiters as he made his rounds of the outdoor lounge we had, and he brought me another drink. The beauty of Bora Bora; the legal drinking age was eighteen. The liquor was paid for by Dad and the lagoon huts were private. It was like paradise.</p><p>I was happy that Lissa was able to enjoy herself as much as she was right now. Dad had provided special sun umbrellas for Lissa to use while she was outside. It helped filter light and heat so while I was in the full sun, she was protected.</p><p>"Dimitri does have tonight off," Lissa said, twirling her straw around in her cup. I smirked and wagged my brows at her.</p><p>"Why do you think I wouldn't let him take my bag yesterday. I didn't want him to see what I bought! I plan on using some little time we have together tonight," I said, rolling onto my stomach and adjusting my sunglasses. I turned my head and smiled to see the man of topic sitting in a lounge chair a few feet away. The perks of us having a private resort was that the security could be a little lax. Sure there were Guardians patrolling the area but Lissa had specifically stated that they were to wear comfortable clothing and to switch frequently between those inside and outside. She didn't want anyone to get dehydrated or uncomfortable, and I praised her for being so considerate.</p><p>Eddie and Dimitri were relaxing across the walkway from us, Eddie sunbathing like I was while Dimitri read his book. I was disappointed that he didn't take his shirt off and opted to use one of the umbrellas to shade him, but I had to live with it.</p><p>I looked over to Lissa again and noticed she was starring at one of her appointed Court Guardians. I reached over and poked her shoulder, drawing her attention back to me. "What is it?"</p><p>"I don't know, something about him feels off. He keeps staring at you."</p><p>I frowned and sipped my drink. I hadn't noticed Howes staring, and if he had Dimitri would have noticed it too. Maybe she just noticed him when he was looking in our direction. I shook it off and turned the subject back to what we were discussing.</p><p>"So, this is what I have planned for tonight."</p><hr/><p>"Promise you'll keep the Guardians out of this area for a few hours? I kind of want to be alone," I said to Guardian Tua. One of the oldest active Guardians I had ever met; he was kind and had a witty sense of humour but could be deadly in a fight. He told me that Dad had hired him on after Court tried to 'retire' him five years ago. He was only hitting fifty and was in better shape than some of my graduating class.</p><p>"Of course kid, I got your back," he said with a smirk, his eyes flicking down to my kimono robe. I rolled my eyes and shoved him playfully before turning away. The sun started setting and Lissa wanted to turn in early for the night due to too much alcohol.</p><p>I crept quietly out to the deck and watched Dimitri dive into the water gracefully. I quickly shrugged off the robe and walked to the edge, sitting down and dangled my feet in the water while adjusting the bathing suit, bottoms higher on my hips. It was ultra-girly with the white frills on it and the scrunched bottoms, but it looks hot against my skin tone.</p><p>Dimitri broke the surface of the water with his back to me and slicked his hair back as he treaded water. I admired how the purple and pink sky reflected against the water. It was beautiful and I could appreciate just how much I didn't want to leave here.</p><p>"That's a beautiful view," I called out. Dimitri looked behind him and I watched his response die on his lips. I smiled at him as he swam towards me and rested an arm on either side of my legs. He gave me a panty-melting smile and I watched the water drops roll down his chest. The advantage of having a freakishly tall boyfriend, he could stand in water that would be up to my eyes.</p><p>"I would say it is," he replied, his fingers toying with the strings tying my bottoms in place. I hummed and leaned down to give him a kiss. He slid his hands against my legs and up to my hips as his lips brushed mine, but his laugh was unexcepted. But it made sense as his hands clamped onto my hips and he pulled me off the dock and tossed me into the water.</p><p>I broke the surface sputtering, pushing my hair back before splashing him with a huff.</p><p>"Really? You had to ruin the moment?" I asked, spraying him again with the salty water. He laughed and splashed me back before coming closer to me. He could still stand comfortably here while I had to tread water.</p><p>"I wasn't ruining the moment, I was taking advantage of you being off guard," he said. I rolled my eyes but let him take my weight against him, hoisting me up on his hips. I hummed and leaned in to kiss him again and he met me halfway. But the kiss was short because I was airborne as soon as the kiss ended, and I plummeted back into the water.</p><p>"Really?!" I screamed as I broke the surface again. He laughed and smirked at me as I made my way back to him. Dimitri pulled me to him again and I quickly wrapped my legs around him. He laughed and his hands came to rest on my butt, sealing the space between our hips while I wrapped my arms around his neck.</p><p>"You're not going to toss me again are you?" I quizzed.</p><p>"No, I've done it enough. If I do it again, you'll leave," he laughed, kissing my cheek. I smirked, unable to stay irritated at him and swooped in to kiss him again. He greedily gave into the kiss and let one hand travel up my back to the back of my head, twisting his fingers into my hair. I sighed against his mouth as we pulled away, resting our heads against one another.</p><p>"I love you," I said softly, feeling my lips brush his as I spoke. He gave me another languid kiss before responding in turn.</p><p>"I love you too. More than I can say."</p><p>I hummed and rubbed my nose against his and his hand played with my hair. He started to walk backwards towards the dock and I giggled as the cool air danced across my now wet skin. Once we were back to the dock he spun around and pressed me against one of the posts, giving me a wolfish smirk.</p><p>"Why do I have the feeling you bought these scanty bathing suits to tease me?" he asked. I hummed and looked up like I was thinking before tightening my arms around him, pushing my chest against his.</p><p>"What kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn't tease you?" I asked. He chuckled and rested his hands against my waist, drawing circles upwards with his fingers. I tilted my head down and kissed the underside of his jaw and licked a small line from his jaw to his ear. I don't know what was hotter; the taste of him, the shiver that ran through his body, or the sound of pleasure that rumbled in his throat. I squeaked when his hands fondled my chest, kneading and playing with my breasts through the wet top. But it was too gentle for the buzz that was coursing through my body. I tightened my legs and brought my hands down on top of his, squeezing his hands against my chest. It was rougher than what he was doing, but it made everything below the belly button clench.</p><p>"I think we need to take this inside," I whispered against his skin, nipping at his earlobe. Dimitri groaned as he rocked into my hips again and stopped his assault on my chest. I let go of his hands and reach up for the dock and he helped me climb onto it. I picked up the stuff he had brought out and we scurried off the dock like lovesick teenagers.</p><p>We stumbled into the room as quiet as we could, but it was all that quiet because I giggled the whole way in. The moment the door was shut he was on me again, his hands moving hungrily over my body as mine moved over his. I grabbed onto his shoulders and jumped up to wrap my legs around him and he gave me the extra boost. His hands worked on the tie at the center of my back and I felt the top loosen against me so I pulled away long enough to pull it over my head, tossing it into the room.</p><p>I rolled my hips against him as his lips travelled down my throat and an excited gasp escaped my lips when his teeth caressed the skin of my neck. His chuckle vibrated against my skin before his hands loosened my legs around his legs and he tossed me onto the bed, crawling over me before I even landed.</p><p>"You seem to enjoy throwing me around," I quipped as his lips ghosted over my collarbone. It was the last coherent thing I said for a while. The months of having to deny each other were catching up and we were both ravenous. Our limbs were tangled on the sheets and I groaned when he pulled away from me, sitting up on his knees above me. He smiled down at me with a smile that made my insides melt further than they already had and he pulled my bottoms down. I lifted my hips to help him and I bit my lip in excitement when he pulled them off at the end of the bed and he stood up to remove his swim trunks.</p><p>I sat up a little and let my gaze wander over him. The taut muscles of his chest and abs chiselled to perfection and the trail of hair that led down below his belly button made me clench. The man was beautiful and I knew that was not a phrase men wanted to hear, but this man was. His hips were narrow but packed with muscle and his cock stood proud against the coarse hairs. His legs were long and powerful, ropes of muscles connecting down his legs. The man was a God; in the flesh and in combat.</p><p>The molten look in his eyes made me shiver and he climbed back on the bed. I sat up even more but he gently pushed me to lay down and I conceded. One of his hands ghosted over my shin and he flattened his hand against my leg before cupping my calf and lifting my leg up. I raised up on my elbow to watch him, but I couldn't look away from his eyes as he leaned down and kissed the soft spot of my ankle. He kissed his way up my leg with slow, gentle kisses. When he reached my knee the sensation of his kiss made me moan and shiver at the same time. It felt glorious and ticklish at the same time.</p><p>But he continued further up and placed a kiss on the soft skin of my inner thigh, his nose brushing against my sodden slit. I squirmed in his grasp and he laid down on his stomach, nipping at my leg gently. Both of our breathing was laboured and he didn't break eye contact with me as his lips came down on my clit, and I whined while curling my toes. I had fantasied about him do this so many nights since the cabin, and now that it was happening I felt like I was going to combust!</p><p>His one hand came to rest on my hip while the other came to my core, rubbing his fingers against my lips. The feeling of his tongue and fingers there was euphoric, and I didn't want it to stop. He slipped his fingers into my core and I tilted my head back with a moan, rocking my hips up to him. He knew exactly what he was doing and I was loving every bit of it. He worked his magic on my body and I drew closer and closer to the edge, but he pulled away just as I reached it and I whimpered as his fingers and lips left my body.</p><p>He crawled up my body and hovered over me, bracing his hands on either side of my head. I stretched my head up and claimed his lips, forcing my tongue into his mouth while pulling him down onto me. I welcome his weight and let it wrap around me like a cocoon. I could feel how hard he was against my hip and I rocked against him again, pulling a moan from him. I loved the sound of him in pleasure and it wasn't one I would forget quickly. Dimitri pulled his lips away from mine and kissed my nose before shifting his weight and bringing a hand down to guide himself to me. I spread my legs a little further apart and planted my feet against the mattress as he entered me in a single thrust, a thrust that made my body bow against his and my head tilt back into the mattress. It felt like the missing piece of me was there again, we were joined again. Dimitri took the opportunity to shower my neck and chest with kisses as he rocked into me, and I relished in the feeling of his slightly laboured breath against my skin.</p><p>I couldn't find enough places to hold onto him as our bodies moved together. I was either tugging on his hair while he kissed me, gripping his back and shoulders, or grabbing his ass and moving my hips harder against his. He gripped one of my legs and wrapped it around his hip, and my excited moan seemed to spur him on. Dimitri was a quiet man by nature, but here with me in this room, he was more vocal about how much he wanted this. About how much he loved me and wanted me, whispering my Russian name like a mantra against my skin and in my ear. The mysterious words he whispered in my ear were beautiful even if I didn't know what they were. He brought his lips back to mine as he intertwined our hands and brought them to rest above our heads on the pillows as he moved harder and faster.</p><p>I felt myself running closer and closer to that beautiful edge and Dimitri tucked his face against my neck as his movements became frantic and desperate. He was close, I was close, and I was desperately seeking relief.</p><p>And that relief hit me like a tidal wave, blooming from my chest and through my body. I barely registered Dimitri's name leaving my lips and I screamed in ecstasy, but I wasn't the only one calling the other's name. Dimitri moaned into my skin as he came, his seed spewing into my wanton channel. My head lolled against his as I caught my breath. His hands squeezed mine before he lifted his head and brushed his lips against mine. I parted my lips and slid my tongue against his, slowly kissing him as the high seeped through our bodies.</p><p>It had been a hell of a time waiting, but it was worth every damn minute of it.</p><p>Dimitri pulled out of me and I whimpered at the loss of his body, but he quickly pulled me against him as he laid on his back, draping me against his chest. I nuzzled into him and sighed happily as my eyes drooped a little bit. I could hear his heart beating under my ear against his ribs, pounding quickly as blood rushed through his body.</p><p>I shifted my position on the bed and let out and a small laugh.</p><p>"The bed is soaked, Comrade."</p><p>Dimitri busted out laughing and he turned his face into my hair. "Do you want to get out and we can change the sheets?"</p><p>"No," I said kissing his chest, "We don't need to do that now. I want to bask in this feeling for a little bit longer. I didn't think this would ever come."</p><p>"I know what you mean," Dimitri replied softly. I smiled and laced my fingers with his as he placed a hand over mine that rested on his stomach. A thought occurred to me and I reached up to kiss his jaw before pulling myself from the bed and walking to the receding wall. I unlocked it and pulled it open and then ran back to bed, curling up beside Dimitri. There were fire lamps along the edges of the dock and it illuminated the mountain landscape across the water. In the morning it was beautiful but it was also beautiful at night too.</p><p>"You're staying the night, right?"</p><p>Dimitri's arms tightened around me, "Of course I am."</p>
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